b'HEALTH & SAFETYMENTAL HEALTH IN CONSTRUCTIONTHE COVID EFFECTNOW IS THE TIME TO TACKLE ANXIETY IN THE WORKPLACE By Warren HeeleyMUCH HAD BEEN WRITTENin a stressful workplace. Solutions arein March 2020, COVID hit and the ball about mental health (MH) in theneeded to address this growing problem,game changed.construction industry. Unfortunately, justfirst and foremost the need to bring MH as industry and health and safety (H&S)out in the open where workers canTHE COVID EFFECTorganizations were starting to create MHreceive help for their MH challenges. Lets not believe that mental health solutions for their workers, the COVID-19in the construction industry is a COVID pandemic struck to worsen the problem.According to experts in the field,problem, states Bill Howatt, founder of improving mental health in constructionHowattHR, a company that specializes in One of the leading workplace healthmust start with the inclusion of more MHMH in the workplace. The pandemicconcerns, MH causes more than halfprotocols in company H&S programs.has simply amplified a growing mental a million employees to miss workPrior to the pandemic, less than 50 perhealth issue in a stressful industry. weekly, according to the Mental Healthcent of companies had MH protocolsThe COVID health concerns, measures Commission of Canada. On an annualin place, according to the Conferenceto curtail its spread (e.g., lockdowns) basis, MH losses are 14 per cent of netBoard of Canada. There must alsoand uncertainty around family safety annual profits and seriously be recognition from senior companyand work interruptions all increased affect productivity.executives of the importance of MHthe number of workers experiencing programs for workers, and regulatorydepression, anxiety and stress.Construction statistics illustrate howbodies must make MH provisions serious the situation has become.mandatory in company H&S programsA recent construction industry survey Suicide is the second leading cause ofwith non-compliance going against theconfirmed that 40 per cent of workers death in construction workers betweencompanys safety record. experienced mental health issues in the ages of 25 and 59 and nearly nine2021 (twice as many as in 2020), nine per cent of workers suffer from someTraining programs for workers andout of 10 employees feel their workplace form of depression. A global concern,leaders to find solutions and incorporatestress affects their mental health MH is a silent epidemic in U.K.MH programs into their companiesand four out of five employees feel construction, where the suicide rate isare available from H&S organizations.emotionally drained from their work, an the highest of all professions. Many organizations also specialize inearly sign of burnout.development of company MH protocols. The traditional manly industry imageAccording to Howatt, maintaining has prevented workers from revealingThe construction industry had startedgood mental health in the workplace MH issues. This has led to rising alcoholdown the path of more awareness andis primarily about how a worker views and substance abuse as well as anxietyimplementing solutions for MH. Then,the workplace. If a worker sees it as a 32Quarter 12022 BUILDERSDIGEST'