CHAS to Lobby Government on Mental Health Provision in Construction Contract Procurement

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24 November 2023

CHAS is supporting a political lobbying campaign calling for mental health provision to be part of the Health and Safety and Social Value procurement conditions for future construction contracts.

The campaign, led by software provider to the construction industry Causeway, argues that psychological safety is a prerequisite for success in the construction industry.

A survey conducted by the company, which polled 1,439 construction site workers, showed over half (56 per cent) of workers are presently facing or have encountered mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. 12 per cent acknowledged they had experienced or were currently dealing with suicidal thoughts.

The survey was conducted by former England and Everton football player Trevor Steven, who is Causeway's mental health ambassador. Trevor used football as a conversation-starter and a way to encourage open discussion. He said: “Shockingly, we are still losing on average two construction workers to suicide every working day. Studies have shown that male site workers are disproportionately affected by mental health issues However, they are often deemed the most vulnerable but hardest-to-reach demographic in the construction industry.”

Causeway and CHAS are asking people to sign up to a mental health pledge to help create better mental health support in their workplaces and to pledge support for the prioritisation of mental health accreditation in procurement processes.

Trevor added: We need to do more than just hanging a few signs up around sites. Mental health needs to be approached in the same way as health and safety – which is why we are asking businesses to step up and pledge to provide greater and more meaningful support."  

New Mental Health Accreditation Standard 

CHAS has also committed to developing a new mental health accreditation standard, to assess a company's stance on mental health and share best practice. CHAS Managing Director Ian McKinnon explained: "Our accreditation will give companies a chance to say, 'Here's what we're doing in our business to support good mental health, and this is what we expect of our supply chains' and will provide them with the tools and techniques to accomplish this." 

Picture: a photograph of some cranes against a night sky. Image Credit: Unsplash

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 24 November 2023

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