Construction industry steps up efforts to combat work-related stress

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) sponsored Working Minds campaign has announced six new partners from the construction industry.

The Contract Flooring Association (CFA), the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE), Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA), the National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC), the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) and the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) have all committed to the campaign.

Stress in the construction industry can be considerable, with long hours and tight deadlines a normal part of working life. Working Minds provides free online learning to help employers in preventing stress and supporting good mental health. The learning tool usually takes less than an hour to complete and helps employers understand what the law requires and how they can comply.

Working Minds has five simple risk assessment based steps, which are:

• Reach out and have conversations,
• Recognise the signs and cause of stress,
• Respond to any risks that have been identified,
• Reflect on actions that have been agreed and taken, and
• Routine – to make it the norm to talk about stress and how people are feeling and coping on site.

Employers are legally required to protect workers from stress at work by carrying out and acting on a stress risk assessment. The Working Minds online learning can help employers understand and meet this requirement.

The Working Minds website, which includes sector-specific advice for the construction industry and other sectors, can be found here: https://workright.campaign.gov.uk/campaigns/working-minds-sectors/