Lessons in safety - May 2025

THE CONSTRUCTION industry is known for its physically high-hazard work environment; self-reported workplace non-fatal injury in the sector is significantly higher than the average, all-industry rate and the rate of fatal injury is around five times as high as the average rate across all industries. 

Health and Safety Executive data suggests that work-related stress, depression and anxiety account for 18% of all self-reported ill health in the sector, which is equal to 14,000 people. Yet Mates in Mind reports a far higher figure, that 97% of construction workers have felt stressed, and suicide rates amongst construction workers is 3.7 times higher than the national average. It leads to the questions: Is self-reporting leading to under-reported numbers? And, how closely linked is physical and mental health? 

In response to the latter, Jason Anker believes mental health is key to preventing accidents. In 1993, he was experiencing low morale when he was asked to undertake an unplanned repair to a leaking roof, a task he knew was unsafe. In one sentence, you can see how the hazards were already stacking up: unplanned work, work-related wellbeing concerns, a culture where he did not raise safety concerns and working at height (the leading cause of work-related fatalities). Unfortunately, this lead to Jason having a life-changing fall.  

Jason, now an MBE and NEBOSH Honorary Diploma holder, will be speaking at NEBOSH’s Conference at the Coventry Building Society Arena in June 2025. He says: “My fall happened because I ignored my gut feeling something was wrong. I took five seconds to realise the job was unsafe, and I still did it. 

“For the first decade of my presentations, the leaving comment was always “don’t be like me, speak up for safety”. Today, though, I am in no doubt that my poor wellbeing at the time of my accident was the main contributory reason that I chose not to speak up. Now  I realise that even if my accident hadn’t happened, my poor mental health and well-being were affecting my performance; I was often late, and my discretionary effort was poor, doing just enough each day and making myself look busy, and this had gone on for months before my accident.”

Jason’s story is a powerful reminder that occupational health and safety incidents rarely have a single contributing factor. 

For the health and safety professional community, there is a huge range of resources available to help you eliminate and manage risks, which can help create healthier and safer construction workplaces. To mention just two, the Considerate Contractors Scheme Best Practice Hub and Mates in Mind, are both useful sources of information and best practice. 

Pop-out box

The NEBOSH Health and Safety Management for Construction qualification has recently been reviewed and refreshed for 2025. The consultation found that 9 in 10 learners would recommend the qualification, and the same number felt that their ability to identify hazards and risks in the construction industry had improved.

The syllabus teaches a wide range of construction workplace health and safety issues, including working at height, psychological health, fatigue, culture, and risk assessment. CSCS also recognises the UK specification for its Academically Qualified Persons (AQP) card.