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Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Publishes Mental Health Report

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Report finds one in four construction workers have considered suicide.

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Interior Designers spend their career working alongside peers in the construction industry. The recent CIOB report, Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment has highlighted the struggles that those working in construction are facing. These findings highlight the disturbing state of mental health within the construction industry prior to outbreak of Covid-19, and of course we must ask the question of how much worse things may be post Covid-19.

We are very aware these issues are not exclusive to the construction industry. The BIID hope that by helping the CIOB rasie awareness of these issues we can create open dialogue and support.

Through surveying 2000 CIOB members the report identifies the scale of the problem of mental health and contains wide ranging recommendations.

Key findings  include:

  • Stress was the most common mental health issue experienced by respondents, with 97% saying they experienced stress over the course of the year. 96% reported fatigue, 95% reported poor concentration, and 91% said they had felt overwhelmed.
  • A quarter of construction workers have considered taking their own lives. In 2018/19, 26% of respondents said they had suicidal thoughts, with 87% experiencing anxiety and 70% experiencing depression. This was particularly true of those working for small businesses or as small traders, and we found that the smaller the business the more likely a person will experience suicidal thoughts.
  • Multiple physical factors contributing to stress were identified within the working environment, including noise levels (80%), inadequate temperature control (79%) and uncertainty of working location (66%). A further 71% of manual workers found the lack of adequate toilet facilities stressful.
  • Two thirds of respondents said they had not received any mental health training or awareness over the past three years, while only one third said their employer would treat a mental health issue very seriously.

We encourge our member to read the full report and to help or seek help when needed. The Samartians are always available to help and can be reached on 116 123.