The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published a new Mental Health Joint Code of Practice (JCOP).

The code is designed to help construction businesses tackle the root causes of poor mental health and reduce the industry’s high rate of suicide.

The code, developed by a coalition including the Department for Business and Trade, The Crown Estate, BAM UK & Ireland, Mates in Mind and the University of Warwick, aims to shift the sector’s approach from crisis intervention to prevention.

Construction continues to experience one of the highest suicide rates of any industry. While many organisations have introduced mental health support services in recent years, the CLC argues that much of the focus has been on helping workers after they begin to struggle, rather than addressing workplace factors that contribute to poor mental health in the first place.

The new code seeks to change that by providing a framework for clients, contractors and supply chain organisations to identify and manage what it describes as five key psychosocial hazards affecting construction workers.

These are: working patterns such as long hours and extensive travel; people and workplace factors including welfare, dignity and respect; operational pressures such as demanding commercial environments; barriers to accessing mental health support; and financial issues including late payment and job insecurity.

The code was informed by research involving construction workers, industry consultation and academic evidence. According to the CLC, feedback from more than 3,000 industry respondents and a series of regional worker focus groups helped identify the primary factors affecting mental wellbeing in the sector.

Taking early action

Rather than viewing mental ill health solely as an individual issue, the guidance argues that wellbeing is heavily influenced by decisions made throughout the project lifecycle, including how work is commissioned, designed, procured, planned and managed.

The JCOP is intended to provide practical measures that organisations can implement to reduce work-related pressures before they escalate into more serious mental health problems.

The initiative aligns with wider government efforts to improve mental health outcomes and reduce suicide rates. England’s first Men’s Health Strategy, currently under development, recognises the role that working conditions play in health outcomes, while the government’s Suicide Prevention Strategy highlights the importance of mental health support in high-risk occupations.

Industry minister and CLC co-chair Sarah Jones said the sector must take stronger action to address the number of lives being lost.

“We are still losing far too many people working in construction to suicide, and behind every number is a family, a friend, a colleague whose life has been cut short,” she said. “This code is about facing up to that reality and taking action early, so people get the support they need before it reaches crisis point.”

Important role to play

The publication is also backed by the Department of Health and Social Care. Mental health minister Baroness Merron welcomed the initiative and said workplaces have an important role to play alongside healthcare services.

“Mental health is shaped not just by healthcare services, but at work, at home, in schools and in our communities,” she said. “That’s why this initiative is so important and why our new cross-government mental health strategy will drive the shift from crisis intervention to preventative care.”

John Wilkinson, chief operating officer of BAM UK & Ireland, said the publication of the Joint Code of Practice is an important moment for the industry. “For too long, we’ve accepted that poor mental health is something we respond to, rather than prevent. The evidence is stark, and the fact that we continue to lose colleagues to suicide is something we cannot accept as inevitable.

“No single organisation can solve this in isolation, but together we can create working environments and practices that are safer, more respectful and healthier by design.”

“At BAM, we are proud to already have over 400 trained wellbeing champions and mental health first aiders across our network, but we can do more. The opportunity now is for all of us to adopt this code, use it and keep pushing for better outcomes to improve quality of life and ultimately save lives.”

Code to be trialled on Kier sites

The code will initially be trialled on two major developments at 33 Piccadilly and 10 Piccadilly in central London. The projects are being delivered by The Crown Estate in partnership with Kier Construction.

Dan Labbad, chief executive of The Crown Estate, said the industry needed to address the pressures created by traditional project delivery models.

“Too often, the way we design and deliver projects creates pressures that harm the people behind them,” he said. “This Joint Code of Practice provides a practical route to tackle those root causes and shift towards prevention.”

The JCOP has also been supported by organisations including the Lighthouse Charity, British Standards Institution and Mindflow, alongside programme partners Marsh, BCLP and the New Hospital Programme.

The CLC describes the code as a “living framework” that will evolve through industry feedback, case studies and data gathered from its implementation. It is encouraging organisations across the sector to adopt the guidance and contribute to its ongoing development.

By focusing on the organisational and commercial factors that can contribute to poor mental health, the CLC hopes the code will help create healthier working environments across construction and support a long-term reduction in work-related mental ill health and suicide.