Improving Mental Health for Job Satisfaction on Construction Sites

Improving mental health to rise
job satisfaction on a
construction site

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Challenges faced by construction workers..................................................................................1
Potential solutions to challenges faced by construction workers.................................................4
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Mental health issues in the construction industry demand following tight deadlines,
critical incidents and workloads which cause a great deal of stress among the employees
working. Addressing issues related to real life problems in life such as lack of concentration,
depression and unhappiness can lower the risk of negative consequences. There are various
factors that lead to mental health issues in a workplace such as lack of balance between home
and work, overworking, job insecurity and hasty decisions (von Werthern, Grigorakis and
Vizard, 2019). However, while working on a construction site, there are concerns related to
safety of the employees which can negatively impact the mental health of the workers.
Construction workers are often exposed to anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts as reported
by a 2020 study which states that, 83% of the construction workers in the UK, experience mental
health issues during their work hours. Furthermore, financial crisis are a risk factor which
increase the intensity of suicidal thoughts in this particular industry (Nnaji and Karakhan, 2020).
The monitoring of mental health care lags behind regulation of physical safety. A drastic change
in the mindset can result in significant improvement in providing mental health support to
construction workers. Factors such as employee safety and mental health outreach should be a
priority all the time. This report highlights challenges faced by construction workers along with
their potential solutions. The discussion also revolves around the many ways to minimise the
effect of stress and anxiety and different methods for achieving mental stability. This report will
also give an insight about the rules that need to be followed under the Health and Safety Work
Act, 1974.
MAIN BODY
Challenges faced by construction workers
There are multiple reasons so as to why construction workers are at a high risk of
suffering from mental health issues. Evidence suggests that 89% of the construction workers are
men, who are more likely to under-report mental issues. Construction industry is prone to
development of mental illness due to cultural expectations as most individuals valorizes
“toughness” (He and et. al., 2019). Many risk factors which are associated with consistent
feelings of loss of control are separation from family due to irregular work schedule, illicit use of
drugs, seasonal employment. Construction and extraction is a major group of occupation with the
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