I noted with interest the article about the need to protect site workers from the sun (8 August, page 13).
The Health and Safety Executive claims that the construction industry is slowly getting to grips with its poor safety record, but it appears much still needs to be done to safeguard the health of staff – both on site and in the office. As the summer comes to an end, my concern is less with the sun than with workers' stress levels.

Most companies carry out basic health and safety training but managers are rarely trained to be aware of the signs of employee stress. Having found a problem, they need to know how they can support a person who is at risk before they start taking valuable time off. Additionally, companies must create a culture that allows employees to say when they are under stress without being victimised for doing so.

Construction is booming thanks to government PFI schemes and a huge demand for housebuilding, but suffering from an insufficient supply of labour.

Can any successful company risk a possible court case and huge damages for not providing the training that could identify and support stress in the workplace? Can any of us risk gaining a reputation that could affect the recruitment of the skilled people we need in order to take advantage of the current market?

Postscript

Tony Willson, Partners for Training Management, via email.