This year National Mental Health Awareness Week is organised between 10-16 May. Mental health is still a taboo topic for many, nowhere more than in the Construction Industry. Construction has among the greatest suicide rate of any industry. This, combined with the physical and mental exhaustion of staff continuing to work throughout the pandemic, means we now more than ever need to look after the mental as well as physical wellbeing of all our staff.
In recognition of this, two of our employees recently undertook a two-day Mental Health First Aid Course (MHFA England), the aim of which is to train those taking part in mental health first aid skills and in helping others find the support they need. Natasha Ince and Sally Charles, who undertook the training, both agreed that the training is a step towards raising awareness of mental health throughout the company. Natasha, Operational Compliance Administrator said, “The statistics of male suicide in construction are truly shocking and we are delighted that we are taking these small but significant steps to help ensure our employees feel supported and able to access the help they or someone close to them may be in need of”.
Sally, Business Support Manager said, “We recognise that training staff as Mental Health First Aiders is just one way to help raise awareness around mental health, and to continue this we will be providing further training to team members at every level within the company, recognising this as a tool in empowering our staff and building knowledge of mental health”.