SPOTLIGHT ON MENTAL HEALTH

A recent study conducted by BRANZ has shed light on mental health issues within the construction industry, offering some important insights to help tackle the issue

At 6.9%, the proportion of suicides in the New Zealand construction industry stands as the highest across all other sectors in the country.

Despite a mixed reaction from interviewees being surprised or not surprised at the rate of suicides, nearly all were unaware that the construction sector had the highest percentage of all industries.

What’s fuelling the numbers

Workplace culture, boom and bust trends, and communication issues were just some of the areas construction workers reported as causing mental distress, as reported by industry workers.

A culture that stigmatises mental illness and promotes a ‘harden up’ attitude were also common themes raised by respondents.

A staunch workplace culture was attributed to making it difficult for workmates to have a conversation about sensitive topics such as mental health, therefore making it harder to suggest places to get help.

Another workplace culture concern frequently mentioned by interviewees was bullying. However, there was a common understanding that there were improvements being made in that area, with tolerance for such behaviour decreasing.

The boom and bust nature of the industry was also said to be causing distress for employers and employees alike. Interestingly, the boom period was said by some to be the more mentally distressing period, due to an abundance of work opportunities and insufficient labourers resulting in long hours, fatigue and a poor work/life balance.

Intergenerational differences in communication was also a source of tension, with some describing how older workers would harass apprentices as part of a ritualised initiation.

On the other end, older workers believed younger workers were more sensitive and required a supportive approach when giving feedback. They said such a disconnect between generations can lead to interpersonal conflicts and additional stress at work.

Other factors believed to create mental distress in the construction sector were drug and alcohol use, pressures created by better-informed customers, intolerance of diversity, and high-risk individuals in the industry.

The impact on the industry

Interviewees agreed that mental distress in the workplace had a negative impact on health and safety in general, with the phenomenon of ‘presenteeism’ inviting more risks. Presenteeism involves workers turning up mentally or physically unwell, so distractions and lethargy that accompany mental distress are more likely to contribute to an accident or near miss in the workplace.

These effects on a worker’s ability to perform at their best results in lower productivity and increasing costs, reinforcing a vicious cycle of pressure and stress.

Calling on mates

Facing the same problem in its own construction industry, Australia has developed a wellness programme called MATES in Construction, which encourages and facilitates help-seeking behaviour.

Set up as an industry-owned charity, the programme looks to increase help-seeking behaviour by educating workers on site and training volunteers to act as ‘connectors’, who are able to offer suicide first aid.

MATES and Scentre Group are looking to work with the New Zealand construction industry and WorkSafe to bring the programme across the ditch.

WorkSafe has expressed strong interest in supporting the pilot of MATES in Construction in New Zealand, with the need to evaluate its efficacy.

Evaluation of the programme will require more statistics on mental health in the industry in order to track its progress. Evaluating the programme will also allow it to best serve its target demographic.

When asked who should drive the research into the performance of the wellness programme, most respondents supported a partnership approach between the industry and a research organisation such as BRANZ. There were some respondents who also suggested the health sector be involved in future research.

Outlining the problem before offering help

Many interviewees in the BRANZ research were from organisations that were already addressing mental health in the industry through a wellness approach. Each example provided by interviewees where wellness programmes were offered showed that there had been no uptake from members of industry organisations.

At events discussing the importance of wellness, industry audiences responded saying they didn’t see a need for such programmes. This reflects a big contrast to the sentiment of interviewees during the BRANZ study, which suggested that one reason for the lack of reception to wellness programmes is that there is no understanding that there is a problem to begin with.

As a result, the BRANZ research suggests presenting the problem first and highlighting the financial and social costs of mental distress may justify the need for industry members to invest in wellness programmes.

If you need help

If you or somebody close to you are worried about their health, we recommend seeing your GP or local mental health provider. If you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, please contact:

Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (24/7)
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (24/7)
Youth Services: (06) 355 5906
Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 (24/7)
Lifelink: 0800 726 666 (24/7)