The term Mental Health post-COVID-19 has been such a prevalent catchword not only in everyday life but also within the working environment and for good reasons too. There are many misconceptions as to what mental health is, if and how it impacts the working environment such as the construction industry. This blog will look into how workers health within the construction industry are protected by the Health and Safety Executives (HSE) and how Base Solutions are able to provide valuable approaches for not only effective people management, but also ways in which to reduce stress related work issues via accredited courses.
Support from HSE to protect workers' health
To combat work-related stress and promote good mental health, the construction industry has decided to join the campaign being run by Great Britain’s workplace regulators.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a campaign titled ‘The Working Minds Campaign’ which has embraced four new partners in the construction industry to help reach trades and offer free support.
These include the 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).
Working Minds aims to aid employers in preventing stress and support good mental health, providing free online resources (which take approximately an hour to complete) to show how to make it part of routine working life and culture. It uses these five simple steps:
1. Reach out and have conversations,
2. Recognize the signs and causes of stress,
3. Respond to any risks identified,
4. Reflect on actions agreed and taken, and
5. Make it routine.
According to Liz Goodwill, Head of Work-Related Stress and Mental Health Policy at HSE, “The law requires all employers — whether you’re a demolition firm or scaffolding business — to carry out a stress risk assessment and act upon the findings. The online learning shares all the tools you need to get started in one place, and you can come back as many times as you like.”
This initiative is very much welcomed as figures obtained from Deloitte shows the total annual cost of poor mental has increased 25% since 2019 costing employers in the UK £56 billion per year.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health is centered around our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. What this means is how we think, how we feel, and how we act, affects our mental state.
The construction industry is fast-paced and result-driven, with operatives exposed to too much workload, role overload, physical fatigue, hours of exposure, poor physical environment, and poor communication within organization whilst being away from family and friends. All these factors can negatively affect an individual's mental health and also an organization productivity levels.
Therefore it is important to to recognize the signs and symptoms of work-related stress to reduce its harmful effects on the individual and organization.
Key Facts about Mental Health obtained from HSE
One in four people in the UK in their lifespan will struggle with a mental health problem.
Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems, which can be caused by work-related issues as well as other difficult life events.
Work-related stress and mental health issues often go together and the symptoms can be very similar
Employers have a legal responsibility to help their employees.
Individuals can experience work-related stress and physical changes such as high blood pressure, without having anxiety, depression, or mental health problems.
Individuals can also have anxiety and depression without experiencing stress.
How Base Solutions supports employers and employees?
Here at Base Solutions Ltd, we recognize the importance of a productive and effective environment however, we consider every individual's mental state, in part with the ‘Thriving at Work’ report set out by Lord Stevenson and Paul Farmer.
Base Solutions Ltd offers several online courses accredited by reputable providers to help individuals/companies to have, not only a better understanding of mental health but also, how to look out for symptoms and most importantly ways to deal with these issues.
Implementing these approaches will essentially promote effective people management and ensure the working conditions are not only in line with the law but also reduce any stress related to work issues.
Conclusion
In conclusion, how we think, behave, and feel plays a significant part in our mental health. This can lead to problems that affect one in four people, which goes to show mental health issues can happen to anyone regardless of race, age, IQ, and gender. However, it is not all doom and gloom as mental health problems can be tackled with the right approach.
At Base Solutions we have reputable courses that can be utilized to help manage and prevent stress by highlighting symptoms, signs, and how to make adjustments once these have been identified through monitoring. With a positive, can-do attitude we offer our accredited service, quality management consultancy as well as, Health and Safety consultancy with the aim of reducing the work related stress our clients encounter and allowing them to focus on the other side of their business. The mind is a powerful tool it can either enslave us or empower us, click the below link to get started!