At Welfare Hire and Access Hire, we believe Men’s Health week is amongst the most important events of the year. The construction industry has a profound responsibility to better protect its health. And this week is all about raising awareness of that fact. 

Mental health is a particular issue. As our research has shown, 40% of construction worker absences are due to poor mental health. And 64% of construction workers say they want their employers to provide more mental health support.

In this article, we help contractors and leaders understand how they can do that – by explore five key ways they can promote better health onsite:

1. Enable comfort

Comfort is not something you immediately associate with construction sites: they are seen as tough environments where hard gets done. But the reality is, enabling a greater sense of physical comfort for employees plays a vital role in keeping workers healthy and happy.

That is why Welfare Hire has focused so heavily on developing state-of-the-art mobile welfare units. By providing more space – and more comfort within that space – we help ensure workers have the proper support to refuel and relax during gruelling shifts.

2. Promote physical safety

Construction sites are notoriously dangerous places to work: the rate of injury for onsite workers is 4x higher than the average¹, and the industry experiences the highest number of workplace fatalities annually².

Instead, businesses must seek long-term solutions – the most obvious of which would be to This is why Access Hire has gone to such great lengths to provide detailed information about onsite safety. By helping you operate Vehicle Mounted Access Platforms more safely, we ensure your workers not only are safe – but they feel it.

3. Psychological safety

The concept of psychological safety is vital for a healthy workplace. It refers to individuals’ sense that they can discuss their feelings or struggles without risking harm – be that actual punishment or social stigma.

This is particularly relevant to the construction industry, as it has often fostered a stoic culture in which workers feel unable to express themselves for fear of being perceived as weak. Only 5% of the total UK workforce that suffers from a mental health condition tell their employers – and that number is significantly lower in construction.

4. Provide flexibility

87% of employees expect their employer to support them in balancing work with their personal commitments. Construction shifts can be guelling, both mentally and physically. Allowing workers to have a meaningful life outside of work is therefore essential

The key to doing this is flexibility. By giving workers more control over their shift patterns, you enable them to choose how they want to balance work with their personal commitments – and give them the space and scope to do so.

5. Don’t overlook management

It is common to emphasise the average employee when discussing workplace health and wellbeing. But research shows that 90% of construction bosses report experiencing mental health issues because of work.

Much of this is down to difficulties in managing a complex worksite. And one way to take this burden off managers’ shoulders is by ensuring that the various partners and providers you work with are both high quality and trustworthy.

At Welfare Hire and Access Hire, we pride ourselves on making life easier for managers. Every one of our vehicles comes with round the clock support, ongoing maintenance and expert advice. We help managers make the best possible decisions – and give them access to the best fleet of specialist vehicles on the market.

If you’d like to learn more about how our offering could improve your employees’ health, contact sales today.