Mental health struggles of hard hat industry workers uncovered

The research, which aims to shine a light on the scale of the mental health challenges facing all heavy industries from a worker perspective, found that 75% of respondents reported feelings of stress, whilst anxiety (62%), depression (43%) and loneliness (41%) were all commonly cited as major mental health challenges.

Worryingly, for every hundred workers, 14 have cited feelings of self-harm or suicide. The Office of National Statistics reported 34 suicides per 100,000 in employment in the construction industry, equating to 7,000 workers out of every 100,000 experiencing feelings of suicide.

Discussing the alarming research findings, Martyn Smart, group QHSE manager, at Pirtek UK & Ireland said, “It’s incredibly worrying that so many of our survey respondents have reported challenges with their mental health. Professionals who work in these sectors face many hazards in their day-to-day duties, but it’s important to remember that mental health risks in the workplace must also be assessed to correctly measure the level of risk to workers.”

As a result of these mental health challenges, four out of ten professionals in the hard hat industries have taken time off work. The national average for time taken off work for mental health reasons is 12.4%, whereas Pirtek’s research found this to be over three times higher (39.5%) for the hard hat industries, signifying the scale of the problem for these industries.  

Despite the challenges surrounding participants’ mental health, Pirtek also found that one quarter of survey respondents would never discuss their mental health with their colleagues and three out of ten (28.9%) have spoken about their mental health with their peers but have felt uncomfortable in doing so.

Similarly, just 59% of respondents stated that their workplace had mental healthsupport in place in their workplace, whilst four out of ten workers reported that there was no support in place, or they were not aware of it. And just 35% of respondents have utilised external professional services to support their mental health. This indicates that businesses who operate in these industries must have support available and do more to drive internal awareness around the support systems workers can access.

Adam Burrows, managing director, Pirtek UK & Ireland said, “It’s believed that one in every two people will develop a mental health disorder in their lifetime. Despite the growth in awareness towards mental health in recent years, our research has found that there is still much more work to be done. It’s vital that we continue to drive awareness and ensure the correct support is in place for every individual to access, should they need to.”

Lucas Whitehead, head of marketing & partnerships at Andy’s Man Club, charity partner for Pirtek’s Under the Hard Hat, said, “The results from Pirtek’s research highlights the scale of the mental health problem in heavy industries. Mental healthdoes not just impact the individual in question, it can have a profound impact on an individual’s friends, family, coworkers and colleagues. Mental health challenges are indiscriminate, targeting everyone regardless of their chosen gender, race or creed.”

He continues, “If we are to cultivate a culture where open discussions about mentalhealth can be had, free from any judgement or stigma, it’s vital that we all work together. We need to ensure that those struggling are not alone and there is support available should they need it. We have an opportunity to make real and lasting change for the many people working in the hard hat industries, it’s important that we are all in it together.”

To find out more about Under the Hard Hat, please visit here.

To find out more about Andy’s Man Club and the services it offers, please visit here.