‘Help Inside the Hard Hat’ – construction workers’ mental wellbeing in the spotlight

As part of its support for its building site workers, William Davis Homes welcomed the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity to three of its East Midlands developments to talk to the teams about the emotional, physical and financial support it offers.

The tour is being hosted by three familiar faces in the construction industry media; Andy Stevens from @andystevenstv, Rob Muldoon @myhpodcast and Matt Dunleavy @d5constuctionltd. Their down-to-earth approach and the fact they can share their own life experiences in the trade means they can easily relate to issues being discussed.

The Charity visited developments in Castle Donington and Ruddington, with a representative from the House Builders Federation also joining them in Shepshed. This is all part of the Help Inside the Hard Hat campaign touring construction sites across the Midlands.

The Help Inside the Hard Hat campaign aims to deliver the message that no construction worker or their family should be alone in a crisis, directly to the frontline. The tour will also provide information about the crucial services the charity provides, including a 24/7 construction industry helpline, a free wellbeing app, their latest text HARDHAT to 85258 service and their portfolio of wellbeing masterclasses and mental health training.

Bill Hill CEO of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity said:

“Due to the mix of contracted and subcontracted workforce in our industry, it is difficult to get our message of wellbeing support to those that need us the most. #LighthouseOnTour is all about ensuring that the ‘boots on the ground’ know that a huge variety of free support is available to ‘Help Inside the Hard Hat’ and that we are there for them 24/7. We are delighted that William Davis Homes have opened their sites to host this pioneering initiative.”

Rebecca Jones, HR manager from William Davis Homes said:

“We are keen to get involved in mental health support across our building sites. The Lighthouse Construction Charity offers practical and industry-specific support that is available to all our site workers if ever needed. These site tours have enabled industry ambassadors to speak direct our site teams and give information on the services they provide. If this information helps any of our site workers in the future it will have been worth it.”

Sara Cartin, operations manager at HBF, said:

“It is great to see more support being given to those working on site. Research has shown that the risk of suicide is three times higher for workers in the construction industry, affecting the ‘boots on the ground’ more so and this number is rising. The Help Inside the Hard Hat initiative will help provide support to those who really need it and start important conversations where talking about mental health is welcomed and normal.”