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Constructive Voices Radio The conversation is building
The management and governance of health-related issues along with the well-being of construction workers has long been a concern in the construction industry.
Many construction workers need different support services regularly, but a lot are not aware that these services exist. This is one of the many reasons that charities such as ‘The Lighthouse Construction Industry’ should be supported.
“In an industry where two construction workers are taking their own life every day, it is vital that the hard-to-reach groups know about the support we can give them.”
2021 was another tough year for all industries, particularly the construction industry.
Partial lockdowns combined with rising material costs brought great challenges to operating in this industry. These challenges resulted in very few people being surprised to see the number of individuals needing support increase.
The report also detailed 1787 cases that needed intensive caseworker intervention, this was an increase of 10% from the previous year. Many needed financial support to cover the costs of daily living, including electricity bills, rent, and providing food for their families.
Naturally, this period of uncertainty resulted in many more individuals availing of the free telephone counselling service that Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity offers. The report showed that 31% of workers who contacted the helpline did so intending to receive mental health support.
“Our figures show that over 90% of our calls for help come from the trades and the boots-on-the-ground workforce. We are pleased to see that they are reaching out for support, but it also means that we have to work even harder to ensure that we are getting our pro-active support to them at an early stage…”
A big worry for the charity is that their support will not reach people in time. To help prevent this fear from being a reality, the charity launched its ‘Help Inside the Hard Hat On Site’ campaign in May last year. This campaign aims to raise awareness of poor mental health within the construction industry and how the workforce can reach out for help.
As the industry is gender dominated with 85% being male, the campaign tries to encourage men to talk and open up about their feelings while also moving away from the stereotypical traditional alpha male image on site.
Advertisements for the campaign included poignant but ever-so-real scenarios such as:
‘“He was the joker. The one who made everyone on-site cry with laughter and then one morning, we just cried.”
“Talking can make us feel vulnerable, but it shouldn’t be seen as a sign of weakness.”
The Impact Report showed that the total amount spent on charitable services for 2021 was an eye-watering £2,511,214. Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity spent over two million pounds on their charitable services last year. This included providing 109 well-being masterclasses and 25 mental health awareness classes for managers.
Founded in 1956, The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity is the only charity in Ireland and the UK that’s mission involves being 100% dedicated to providing emotional, physical, and financial well-being support to the construction industry, its workers, and their families.
The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity provides a 24/7 Construction Industry Helpline which provides individuals with a range of both free and confidential well-being support. The charity also provides individuals with a wide range of free construction focussed training programmes and funds ideas to improve health and safety in the working environment.
The charity receives no public funding which means they heavily rely on the generosity of those within the industry for financial support to continue their vital work. Events such as this one in Croke Park are also a crucial way in which the charity can raise funds.
You can help The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity with its admirable and vital mission in two different ways. You can order a Construction Industry Helpline pack for your organisation, or you can make an annual donation as an individual or a company.
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