For many years, the poor mental health of (mainly male) construction workers has been a matter of great concern. Soberingly, suicide is the most common cause of death for men aged 15-49 working in the sector – far greater than death by injury – and rates are three times higher in the construction industry than in the male population overall.

The fact that the pandemic has added to the mental health pressures already facing the sector can be seen in the early findings of a recent survey conducted by Mates in Mind and the Institute of Employment Studies (IES). The research found that a third of construction workers are now experiencing increased levels of anxiety. However, given that the research itself found that men are very unlikely to talk about or recognise stress or anxiety in themselves, the true figure is almost certainly much higher.

…