Construction Safety Week 2019 kicked off today with the important theme of Mental Health and Wellbeing in Construction.

Mental Health Statistics

Men hold 96% of roles in the construction sector. This statistic, coupled with the fact that 80% of suicides in Ireland are committed by males draws sombre conclusions. This statistic is of greater importance in the construction sector as it holds the highest ratio of male to female employment over any other sector in Ireland. Furthermore, according to Mental Health Ireland, one in four of us will experience a mental health difficulty in our lifetime.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Day Objectives

As partners in Construction Safety Week 2019, we wanted to host an event that would meet the following objectives:

• Engage as many employees as possible
• Increase mental health awareness throughout our factory, sites and offices
• Decrease the stigma attached to the topic
• Educate staff on how to recognise when a colleague needs help
• Help people manage their own stress

With those objectives in mind we reached out to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), Health Assured and planned a full day of meaningful workshops that would resonate with our employees. The topics covered in these workshops included:

• Mental Health and Men
• Mindfulness and Wellbeing
• Mental Health Awareness

Health Assured Workshops

The Mental Health and Men workshop gave insight, knowledge and understanding about male mental health and how to identify, understand and help individuals who may be developing mental health issues. It delivered insight in common issues such as depression, anxiety, suicide and psychosis. The session on Mental Health Awareness covered similar topics while also addressing the importance of mental health in the workplace, attitudes and stigmas, the steps to take to support individuals and action planning.

Our other workshop focused on Mindfulness and Wellbeing and took participants through a range of exercises introducing them to the practice and ways in which to incorporate it into our daily schedules. As we lead such busy lives, mindfulness is an exceptional tool at helping us live in the present and has been proven to have many benefits such as:

• Decreased stress
• Increased productivity, awareness, attention and focus
• Higher brain and immune functioning
• Lowered blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety levels
• Increased thought clarity and perception
• Feeling of calmness

The benefits, coupled with the fact that you can be mindful anywhere, for a time period that suits your schedule means that it is a fantastic tool to have at your disposal.

Thank You

Thank you to Ahmet Mehmet from Health Assured who delivered engaging workshops throughout the day which received abundant praise by those in attendance. We would also like to thank all those who took part in the workshops today and hope that everyone took away meaningful tools that will benefit them and their colleagues in the future.