Advocacy Across Boundaries: Co-creating a framework to improve mental health in construction

Working across sectors to foster a community focused on connected policies and collaborative practices to improve mental health and wellbeing in the construction industry

The construction industry is a major employer in the UK, supporting 2.1 million workers and contributing 6% to the GDP. Yet, it faces a significant mental health crisis, with suicide rates 3.7x the national average. Addressing this issue is crucial for sustainable development, as workers endure pressures like tight schedules and financial instability, often leading to a reluctance to discuss mental health.

This collaborative project between the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction (BSSC) and UCL Division of Psychiatry was led by Dr Jing (Jean) Xu (BSSC), Dr Simon Addyman (BSSC) and Dr Alexandra Pitman (UCL Division of Psychiatry).  A half-day roundtable event brought together twenty-five professionals from different parts of the construction sector, with eleven researchers of various disciplines from different universities. The event consisted of research presentations, panel discussions and roundtable workshops relating to mental health and wellbeing in construction. Panel members were experts from different organisational backgrounds, including BAM UK and Ireland, CMISOSH, the Wellcome Trust, Glasgow Caledonian University, UCL and the University of Edinburgh.  

Establishing a network between researchers and industry experts in the topic of mental health and wellbeing in construction, the event provided a space for knowledge exchange relating to organisational support for mental health and wellbeing in construction, as well as opportunities and challenges in the construction industry across organisational and disciplinary boundaries. Following the event, a summary report was produced, alongside a framework for guided actions for systemic interventions.  

Key findings from the project include:  

• There is a lack of understanding of the diverse work experiences of construction workers across various demographics. Organisations also lack knowledge about 
• the socio-economic and -psychological mechanisms that lead to workers’ suicide and mental health issues. 
• There is minimal collaboration and knowledge transfer between the construction sector and the welfare system, making it difficult to access support services for health, wellbeing and social care. 
• Clients are disengaged. Construction organisations are having conversations in isolation. Small organisations and the self-employed at the bottom of the supply chain lack sufficient support and resources to care for workers’ mental health and wellbeing. 
• Project management often prioritises time, deadlines and commercial aspects over workforce mental health and wellbeing. Pressure to meet deadlines can be transmitted down the management line, due to the financial penalties of not hitting deadlines, creating stress for all those involved in the project. 
• A ‘macho’ culture promotes values such as competitiveness, self-reliance and stoicism, which discourages openness about vulnerability and mental health struggles. There is a culture where discussing mental health issues is stigmatised. 
• The temporary nature of construction jobs leads to instability and loneliness among workers, who might experience isolation from relationships, and physically demanding and often harsh working environments further exacerbate mental health challenges, especially when workers are away from home. 

The project has generated significant imapcts, including the development of a network with the construction industry, with the potential to lead to business-funded projects, as well as a collaborative relationship between the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction and UCL Psychiatry Division, enabling further opportunities for cross-disciplinary research.  

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Longer-term impacts from the project include focused industry attention and organisational actions to address mental health and wellbeing based on the co-created framework, a planned cross-disciplinary research collaboration based on research directions identified at the event, and collaborations between UCL and industry partners, through a KTP, consultancy projects and other scholarships based on the established network. An additional output is a collaborative PhD, funded by BAM UK & Ireland, which will be supervised by Professor Alexandra Pitman, UCL Division of Psychiatry Subsidiary Supervisor and Dr Jing (Jean) Xu, UCL Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction Department & Institution.  

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