Willmott Dixon’s Mark French (left) with health and safety inspectors
Willmott Dixon is to tackle stress among its construction workers through a new mental health initiative.
The “All Safe Minds” campaign aims to ensure its workforce feels able to identify and seek attention if they are suffering from stress-related issues.
Recent studies commissioned by Public Health England (PHE) found that certain groups of male construction workers were at a high risk of suicide, with figures some 3.7 times above the national average.
The campaign follows the All Safe initiative introduced in 2010 to empower Willmott Dixon’s site workforce with the right to challenge safety conditions they felt posed a danger. All Safe Minds aims to ensure mental as well as physical well-being is safeguarded.
All Safe Minds
The campaign aims to instil three key actions into daily work culture, encouraging workers on the contractor’s sites to:
- Recognise – be aware if you or someone you know is struggling to cope.
- Reach out – start the conversation. If you are struggling, talk to someone you trust. Or if you know a colleague is struggling, offer your support.
- Rebuild – use the resources available to you to start taking back control.
Willmott Dixon’s head of health, safety and environment, Mark French, explained: “Mental well-being is quite rightly being discussed now and we’re seeing a huge shift in attitudes towards those who battle with mental illness. The construction sector still has more work to do, especially getting people to talk about how they feel, so All Safe Minds, will address that.
“Men are famous for not addressing their emotional issues, and when you add that to working in such a high-pressure industry, the results can be catastrophic. The purpose of All Safe Minds is to provide an easy route for anyone feeling they might need some support – providing them with the tools they need to make the all-important first steps.
“Our 3 ‘R’s will become second nature in our daily routine and we need to completely dispel the idea that mental health problems are a taboo. Encouraging mental fitness is imperative and we have to offer the right support when we spot it.”
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