Construction workers are four times more likely to die by suicide than the national average, making it one of the deadliest professions for mental health problems in the UK, according to a new report.
Social media company On The Tools, the UK’s largest community of tradespeople, has found that 73% of the country’s 2.1 million construction workers have been affected by mental illness.
In the last decade, 7,000 have taken their own lives.
“If doctors or teachers were seeing those rates of suicide in any other industry, I think there would be a national outcry”, said Alice Brooks, the company’s brand manager.
“But because it’s construction, I think people don’t necessarily have the best perception of tradespeople, it’s being ignored.
“When four times the number of people are dying by suicide – who will build our hospitals, who will build our schools, maintain our roads and infrastructure?”
The company is trying to raise £2.5m to fund counselling for workers in the industry.
James Reeves, 33, who runs Royal Spa Decoration in Leamington Spa, told Sky News how he had contemplated suicide after suffering injuries to his back and pelvis in an accident while painting and decorating, then had his tools, worth £2,500 stolen.
“One of the worst pressures was financial”, James explained.
“I had guys working for me on payroll, I had to earn a certain amount to make a profit every month, you can imagine if you’re off work for three months and unable to meet those numbers, meet those deadlines it doesn’t take long before you find yourself in a hole financially.
“For me personally I just felt like a failure to everyone around me and the only way out was to kind of disappear.”
James continued: “For a long time taking my own life consumed my every waking thought and for a long time I woke up thinking that was going to be the day I took my own life. It did take quite a while to get out of that place, but I was lucky in that I got out, whereas a lot of other people aren’t that fortunate.”
The report also found that work absences related to mental illness are costing the industry £2.7bn a year.
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Ms Brooks added: “When you start factoring in isolation – a lot of workers in this industry lone work or are self-employed and there is that feeling of isolation and loneliness.
“Then you add financial pressures, then industry pressures such as tool theft – we found 68% of tradespeople worry daily about tool theft which shows those wider pressures are affecting those in the trade.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
