{"id":6330,"date":"2023-05-01T09:26:55","date_gmt":"2023-05-01T09:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/28april.org\/?p=6330"},"modified":"2023-05-01T08:07:23","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T08:07:23","slug":"uk-work-suicide-this-cant-continue-iwmd23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/28april.org\/?p=6330","title":{"rendered":"UK: Work suicide – ‘This can’t continue’ – iwmd23"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On International Workers’ Memorial Day, UniteLive investigates rising suicide rates in the construction sector – and how Unite members are making a difference<\/h2>\n

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The construction sector has made significant strides in workplace safety in recent years, with the HSE reporting in 2022 a 16.7 per cent drop in on-site fatalities compared to the five-year average.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But there\u2019s a hidden epidemic in construction \u2013 one that\u2019s controversially not reported in HSE statistics. Even as fewer people die in workplace accidents in construction, the suicide rate has relentlessly continued climbing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Since 2015, Glasgow Caledonian University and the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity have compiled figures on suicides in construction.\u00a0Their latest analysis<\/a>\u00a0found the suicide rate for construction occupations in 2021 rose to 33.82 per 100,000 from 25.52 per 100,000 in 2015 \u2013 the highest rate in any sector.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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These latest figures were published just two weeks before International Workers\u2019 Memorial Day today (April 28) and serve as a stark reminder that workplace health and safety is so much more than simply preventing accidents in the workplace.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Suicide in the construction sector is both a protracted and complex problem \u2013 there\u2019s no one reason that more people take their lives in construction than in any other sector, explains Unite national officer Jason Poulter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cFor starters, it\u2019s a very long-hours culture, and construction workers are often expected to be away from home \u2013 and so away from their families and usual support networks \u2013 for long periods of time,\u201d Jason noted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Construction is still a predominantly male working environment, and with this environment comes many of the coping mechanisms that some men turn to in times of stress, such as gambling, alcohol and substance addiction, which often end up exacerbating already poor mental health.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere is definitely a drinking culture in construction,\u201d Jason told UniteLive. \u201cThere\u2019s having a drink, then there\u2019s\u00a0having a drink<\/em>\u00a0 \u2014 going down the pub with your mates can be a positive thing, but it can just as easily spiral into addiction for some if they\u2019re already under a lot of stress.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Hinkley Point nuclear power station in Somerset \u2013 the UK\u2019s largest construction project since the Second World War, employing more than 4,000 people \u2013 was an exemplar of mental ill health plaguing the construction sector in the first few years that the project began.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Back in 2019, Unite told the\u00a0Guardian<\/em><\/a>\u00a0that in the first four months of that year alone, the union had been informed of at least 10 suicide attempts by workers employed on the site. Since then, Unite and EDF, the major employer at Hinkley Point, have worked together to redouble their efforts to support workers\u2019 mental health.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Unite convenor at Hinkley Point Malcolm Davies in particular hailed EDF\u2019s mental health buddies system, which is a network of volunteers who are trained as mental health first aiders to provide support and guidance to their colleagues.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe now have over 400 trained mental health first aiders on site, the most we\u2019ve ever had \u2013 with more and more people coming forward to take part,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Malcolm believes that what has made the programme so successful is that it has slowly but surely changed the culture at the construction site by removing the stigma associated with talking about mental health.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cPeople find comfort in talking about their mental health, especially when they can talk to their peers,\u201d Malcolm said. \u201cOur mental health first aiders are often the first port of call and can signpost people to the different types of support they can get. We also have an on-site chaplains, as well as an on-site surgery with nurses and doctors if people need professional, medical help.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Unite rep Matthew, 27, trained as a mental health first aider at Hinkley Point just a few months ago, and said it\u2019s been a very rewarding experience so far.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI myself have suffered from anxiety and depression, and I also have family who have been through some tough times, so when I started to feel better, I really wanted to help others who\u2019ve had the same experience as me and pass on what I\u2019ve learned,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Matthew noted while the mental health buddies system has been in place for many years, he said a vital difference now is that they\u2019re a lot more visible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s hundreds more of us, and initially mental health first aiders were more office-based, but now we\u2019re on the ground, dotted around throughout the site. We\u2019ve got \u2018time to talk\u2019 rooms where we can sit and talk to people privately. Sometimes people just need someone to listen, other times we can offer guidance like suggesting time off from work, or signposting them to seek professional help.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Unite rep Anthony, 56, will soon train to become a mental health first aider. Like Matthew, Anthony said he\u2019s keen to help others \u201cbecause mental health is something that\u2019s close to my heart\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI\u2019ve got a little lad who\u2019s severely autistic, and when he was first diagnosed, I went through a really rough period of depression for about a year,\u201d he explained. \u201cI\u2019d like to pass on my experience to others, and sit and talk to people, because that\u2019s what I myself needed to get through the tough times.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Anthony said he already informally mentors many of the younger workers on site and he can\u2019t wait to be fully trained up as a mental health first aider.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m 56 and when I was a young lad, you just kept things to yourself because otherwise you\u2019d be classed as a softy if you talked about mental health and tried to get help,\u201d he noted. \u201cI think it\u2019s absolutely great now that the lads are so much more open and will come and talk. We\u2019ve got a signs all over the site here that say, \u2018It\u2019s okay not to be okay\u2019 and I think that\u2019s fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Matthew believes that working conditions in construction definitely contribute to the mental health crisis many in the industry face.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of long hours, weekend work, and working away from home that I think plays a big role,\u201d Matthew explained. \u201cYou end up missing time with your kids, with your partner and parents and all sorts in your social life. You might be home one weekend, but the weekend before maybe there was a party and you just feel like you keep missing out on life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While Malcolm said he\u2019s very proud of the mental health work both the employer and Unite have done at Hinkley Point \u2013 the union also offers separate mental health training for members \u2013 he worries that not all in the sector have access to that level of support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cOn large construction projects, especially in nuclear and petrochemical, there\u2019s a lot more money for mental health projects, and for health and safety in general,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI think it\u2019s up to unions like Unite to make sure we\u2019ve got reps on the smaller projects, and make sure we get those reps trained up on mental health. We\u2019ve lost on average 100 people each year to suicide in construction \u2013 even one is too many, and it can\u2019t continue.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Jason Poulter likewise said Unite and other unions have a much bigger role to play to tackle the mental health crisis facing workers in the construction sector.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But he emphasised that it is absolutely vital that employers look at the root cause of this crisis and not simply treat the symptoms \u2013 symptoms that in many ways the employers themselves are responsible for.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s needs to be root and branch reform of the employment models used in construction,\u201d he said. \u201cRequisite rest periods \u2013 they\u2019re not happening. They\u2019re not paying holidays. They\u2019re not encouraging people to take time off. There\u2019s no work-related mental health risk assessments that we absolutely need.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s also the issue of bogus self-employment where workers are burdened with tax returns and having to pay for accountants, without any of the benefits of working for yourself,\u201d he added. \u201cBecause the reality is you aren\u2019t working for yourself \u2013 you\u2019re under the instruction of someone else and they can fire you on the spot. They\u2019ve blacklisted workers; they have a culture of fire and rehire \u2013 it\u2019s the most precarious industry in the entire economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Jason said that it is not until all these factors are addressed that meaningful change will happen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThis is what Unite is fighting for day in and day out,\u201d he said. \u201cFor every suicide in construction, how many broken families are left behind? This is a much wider problem than many people realise, and we\u2019ve got to do something about it. Too many people\u2019s lives depend on it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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You can find out more about\u00a0International Workers\u2019 Memorial Day and a find Unite event near you on our website here.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Read now via – UniteLive.org.<\/a><\/p>\n

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