HCLG Mental Health Hub - Now Live!
Updated: 6 days ago
The Construction industry can be a great place to work and good for our mental health in terms of providing a sense of purpose, a sense of pride in the buildings we create and a sense of belonging. However, working in the industry can also expose people to psychosocial hazards such as intense and excessive workloads, unrealistic deadlines, isolation, inadequate staffing and financial pressures. Furthermore, the culture can often be 'macho', making it difficult for individuals to speak up about their struggles without fear of bullying or harassment. As such, there is still a way to go before we achieve psychologically safe workplaces.
The incidence of suicide among construction workers is higher than in any other industry and work-related stress is a real concern, with the HSE estimating that on average 15,000 workers were suffering from work-related stress in the years 2022 – 2025.
The Construction industry is, however, turning a corner! In November 2025, the UK's first national standard focused on suicide awareness, prevention, intervention, and support in the workplace was released (BSI Suicide Standard BS 30480). Then on 15th July 2026, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) published the Mental Health Joint Code of Practice (JCOP) to shift the construction industry from reactive crisis response to proactive mental health prevention. Furthermore, ISO 45003 (Psychological health and safety at work) is currently under a systematic review and we expect to see further positive changes as a result.
With so much guidance now available to employers, there is no reason why psychosocial hazards can't be risk assessed and mitigated in the same way as physical hazards. However, to make it even easier to understand, the HCLG's Mental Health Working Group has just launched the 'Mental Health Hub'.
The Mental Health Hub has been broken down into 5 easy-to-digest sections:
Section 1: Understanding your responsibilities as a client, leader, manager or worker.
Section 2: How to conduct a stress risk assessment using the HSE Management Standards.
Section 3: How to apply the Hierarchy of Controls to psychosocial hazards.
Section 4: A worked example of the steps needed to manage the hazard of fatigue.
Section 5: Managing Psychosocial risk throughout each stage of the project.
The HCLG's Mental Health Working Group is led by Dr. Claire Douglas who commented,
"The group has worked together to create a central resource that can be easily used by all construction firms, no matter what size. By following the sections within the Mental Health Hub, risks to psychological health and safety can be identified and the impact on workers can be mitigated.
I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the creation of the Mental Health Hub."
View the Mental Health Hub Now!
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