All Safe Minds - Stress & Mental Support Network

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06 October 2017 | Updated 01 January 1970

Willmott Dixon has launched a campaign to ensure thousands of people who work on its projects have a support network should they suffer from stress and other mental fitness conditions linked to work.

Recent studies commissioned by Public Health England found that certain groups of male construction workers were at greatest risk of suicide, with figures at a staggering 3.7 times above the national average.

The company is tackling the issue head-on by launching the All Safe Minds campaign to ensure its entire workforce feel able to identify and seek attention should they be suffering in their own personal situation.

It continues the All Safe initiative introduced in 2010 to empower Willmott Dixon’s site workforce with the right to challenge safety conditions they felt posed a danger. All Safe Minds strengthens the All Safe programme to ensure mental as well as physical well-being is safeguarded.

Willmott Dixon’s head of health, safety and environment Mark French explained: “Mental well-being is quite rightly being discussed now and we’re seeing a huge shift in attitudes towards those who battle with mental illness. The construction sector still has more work to do, especially getting people to talk about how they feel, so All Safe Minds will address that.”

All Safe Minds is a culture change campaign that aims to instil three key actions into daily work culture, encouraging everyone on its sites to:

• Recognise - be aware if you or someone you know is struggling to cope.
• Reach out - start the conversation. If you are struggling, talk to someone you trust. Or if you know a colleague is struggling, offer your support – simply lending an ear can make all the difference.
• Rebuild - use the resources available to you to start taking back control.

The All Safe Minds campaign will make it as easy as possible for workers to tap into a variety of resources, and is also working on a suite of supporting material that will be issued to everyone on site, for their own personal use should they ever feel the need.

French continued: “Men are famous for not addressing their emotional issues, and when you add that to working in such a high-pressure industry, the results can be catastrophic.

"The purpose of All Safe Minds is to provide an easy route for anyone feeling they might need some support – providing them with the tools they need to make the all-important first steps. Our 3 ‘R’s will become second nature in our daily routine and we need to completely dispel the idea that mental health problems are a taboo. Encouraging mental fitness is imperative and we have to offer the right support when we spot it.”

The All Safe Minds will be rolled out across all Willmott Dixon projects from September.

Picture: Willmott Dixon’s head of health, safety and environment Mark French

Article written by Cathryn Ellis | Published 06 October 2017

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