Member Article

World Mental Health Day sees roll out of construction mental health training course

A leading national training provider that specialises in construction has announced the launch of its first course centred around the mental health and well-being of workers operating within the industry.

Delivered by Construction Skills People, and designed to teach people how to spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and provide help on a first-aid basis, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an internationally recognised training course.

Its official launch comes during World Mental Health Awareness Day – an annual event designed to promote worldwide mental health education, awareness and advocacy, particularly against the social stigma that many people with mental health issues face.

Kevin Hithersay, the mental health training provider at Construction Skills People who is delivering this course, said: “Mental health affects most of us in some way, and it’s important that we work to ultimate the stigma around mental health and encourage people to reach out if they are struggling.

“This training course not only will help workers assess and support colleagues who struggle with poor mental health, as well as their family members and friends; but it is also designed to help to reduce the impact of absenteeism caused by such struggles on construction businesses.

“The course is proving exceptionally popular to date which we hope is indicative of the recognition that this very important and very prevalent issue is now receiving.” On completion, trainees will gain a qualification in Adult Mental Health First Aid, with the certificate issued by Mental Health First Aid (England).

According to the latest figures from The Health and Safety Executive, an estimated 12.5 million working days were lost and 526,000 workers suffered due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2016/17 across the country.

Evidence from the Mental Health Foundation further suggests that nearly 13% of all sickness absence days in the UK can be attributed to mental health conditions, and that better mental health support in the workplace could save UK businesses up to £8 billion per year.

In a bid to drive those numbers down, Construction Skills People says MHFA will provide the skills and knowledge of construction workers to be able to identify poor mental health, as well as empowering both individuals in the work place and communities to understand the signs and symptoms and how best to support themselves and those around them in recovery.

The MHFA standard course is split into four parts, including topics such as depression, suicide, substance misuse, anxiety disorders, self-harm, eating disorders, personality disorders and psychosis.

Construction Skills People, who deliver a wide range of vocational qualifications and commercial training courses specifically for the construction sector, are keen to see a change in the stigma that surrounds mental health, especially in the workplace.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ashlea McConnell .