Mental Health Hub
Construction can expose people to a range of psychosocial hazards – including excessive workload, time pressure, unrealistic deadlines, poor planning, inadequate staffing, low control and financial pressure.
Recent industry research highlights the scale of the challenge. In CIOB's 2025 survey, 80% of respondents reported experiencing stress often or sometimes during the previous year. The research also identified too much work (71%), time pressure (70%), unrealistic deadlines (69%), poor communication (69%), poor planning (68%) and inadequate staffing (66%) as significant workplace stressors.
The wider picture is complex. HSE estimates that 15,000 construction workers were suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety, based on the 2022/23–2024/25 average. Across Great Britain, work-related stress, depression and anxiety accounted for 22.1 million working days lost in 2024/25.
These are not simply issues for individuals to manage. Like physical hazards, psychosocial hazards can be identified, assessed and controlled. ISO 45001 provides the framework for managing occupational health and safety risks, with ISO 45003 providing specific guidance on managing psychosocial risks. Alongside the HSE Management Standards and the Construction Leadership Council's Joint Code of Practice (JCOP), these support a prevention-led approach: identifying the conditions that can cause harm and managing the risks through how work is designed, organised and managed.
This Mental Health Hub brings together practical tools to help organisations of all sizes take that approach – from SMEs and specialist contractors through to Tier One contractors and clients.
RACE Strategy
Improving mental health in construction requires action at every level of the industry, with different people and organisations having different levels of responsibility and influence.
The HCLG RACE Strategy provides a practical framework for understanding where action can be taken – from clients and organisations designing and planning work, through to managers, supervisors and those carrying out the work.
The focus is not simply on supporting people when they are struggling. It is also about identifying psychosocial hazards, understanding who can influence them and taking action as early as possible to prevent or reduce the risk of harm.
Stress Risk Assessment
Work-related stress should be managed in the same systematic way as other occupational health and safety risks – by identifying what could cause harm, understanding who may be exposed and taking proportionate action to eliminate or reduce the risk.
A stress risk assessment looks at the psychosocial hazards that can arise from how work is designed, organised and managed. These can include workload, working hours and deadlines, as well as levels of control, support, working relationships, role clarity and how change is managed.
Information should come from a range of sources. This might include conversations with workers, surveys and focus groups, alongside existing organisational information such as absence, working hours, overtime, staff turnover, occupational health data, grievances, incidents and project performance.
The aim is not to assess an individual's mental health. It is to identify the psychosocial hazards within the work, understand where and how people may be exposed, and put appropriate controls in place.
The HSE Management Standards provide a practical framework for considering six key areas of work – Demands, Control, Support, Relationships, Role and Change. ISO 45001 and ISO 45003 provide the wider framework for integrating psychosocial risk into an organisation's occupational health and safety management system.
Stress risk assessment should be proactive. Organisations should not have to wait for someone to become unwell, go off sick or raise a concern before examining whether the way work is being managed could cause harm.
Once the risks have been identified and assessed, the next step is to consider how they can be controlled.
Hierarchy of Controls
The construction industry has long used the Hierarchy of Controls to manage physical health and safety hazards. The same principles can be applied to psychosocial hazards, with priority given to preventing or reducing the risk at source rather than relying primarily on measures that help individuals cope with the consequences.
The CLC JCOP reinforces this approach, encouraging organisations to consider how psychosocial hazards can be eliminated, reduced or controlled through the way work is designed, planned and managed.
The illustration below shows the relative effectiveness of different levels of control. The higher up the hierarchy, the greater the focus on addressing the source of the hazard. Measures lower down the hierarchy can still play an important role, particularly when used alongside more preventative controls. The illustration also gives an indication of the type of intervention classed as Primary, Secondary and Tertiary.
Worked Example of Steps to Take to Manage the Hazard of Fatigue
Understanding the Risk
Before deciding what controls are needed, we need to understand what may be causing or contributing to fatigue. The HSE Management Standards provide six areas of work to explore: Demands, Control, Support, Relationships, Role and Change. The example questions below can help identify where aspects of work may be increasing the risk of fatigue.
These are example questions rather than a complete stress risk assessment. The questions you ask should reflect the work, workforce and circumstances being assessed.
Demands
Are employees managing multiple project handovers simultaneously?
Are defects, snagging lists and warranty issues creating excessive workload?
Are O&M manuals, Health & Safety Files, commissioning records and certification being completed under unrealistic timescales?
Are employees supporting new projects whilst still closing out completed projects?
Control
Do employees have sufficient control over prioritising defects, documentation and client requests?
Can teams influence handover schedules and workload distribution?
Are employees able to switch off outside working hours without fear of missing critical issues?
Support
Are managers helping teams prioritise close-out activities?
Are adequate resources available during peak handover periods?
Are digital systems and processes helping or hindering the management of defects and documentation?
Relationships
Are client complaints, escalations or unrealistic expectations contributing to stress and fatigue?
Is there a blame culture when defects are identified?
Are project teams, aftercare teams and subcontractors working collaboratively to resolve issues?
Role
Is ownership of defects, documentation and client communication clearly defined?
Are responsibilities between project delivery teams and aftercare teams understood?
Are employees receiving conflicting instructions from different stakeholders?
Change
Are late design changes creating avoidable rework during close-out?
Are defects, variations and client requirements being communicated effectively?
Are handover expectations changing without sufficient planning or notice?
What Did You Find?
The answers should help identify the specific factors that may be contributing to fatigue.
For example, you might identify: Long working hours • excessive workload • insufficient recovery time • long-distance travel • poorly planned shift patterns • unrealistic deadlines • inadequate resources • repeated changes to the programme. These are the things you now need to control.
Choosing Controls
Once you understand what is contributing to fatigue, use the Hierarchy of Control to consider how those risks could be managed.
Start by considering whether the source of the risk can be removed or avoided. Where this isn't reasonably practicable, consider whether the work can be changed or redesigned to reduce exposure. Administrative measures and individual support can then form part of the overall controls where needed.
More than one control may be appropriate. The aim is to give priority to controls that address the source of the risk rather than relying primarily on people to manage or cope with it themselves.
Click on the Hierarchy of Control stage below for risk assessment prompts to think about and example controls
Managing the Risk Throughout the Project
Decisions made throughout a project can influence psychosocial risk. Considering these risks early, and revisiting them as the project develops, creates more opportunity to prevent or reduce harm.
Select each project stage below for things to consider and practical examples.
