Show Notes
Construction is facing a mental health emergency, with alarming suicide rates reflecting the persistent stigma that prevents many people from speaking out.
The conversation around mental health has undoubtedly improved in recent years, but with male suicide rates in construction among the highest of any UK sector, there is still more work to be done.
To mark World Mental Health Day, our guests – Brian Berry, CEO of the Federation of Master Builders, and Dorian Bowen, co-founder of design and build studio Project One – share personal accounts and practical strategies that can help the industry foster a culture of openness.
We also explore what meaningful change looks like. From senior managers to apprentices, mental health needs to be a conversation everyone is part of.
Mental health support and advice for CIOB members, past members and related family is available through CIOB Assist. CIOB, in partnership with Anxiety UK, also provides wellbeing support.
The Lighthouse Charity offers 24/7 free and confidential support on all aspects of emotional, physical, and financial wellbeing. 24/7 helplines: 0345 605 1956 (UK) 1800 939 122 (ROI) Text HARDHAT to 85258 (UK) or 50808 (ROI) Live chat and more information: www.lighthousecharity.org
Mentalhealth.org.uk also has some useful advice for managing your news consumption and the impact of doomscrolling.
More from 21st Century Construction
It’s been a year since Awaab’s Law came into force, setting strict new rules that registered social landlords must follow in dealing with damp and mould. The law was named after 2-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 of severe respiratory failure as a result of prolonged exposure to mould in his home in Rochdale. In the three years leading up to his death, the housing association took no action to deal with the mould, despite repeated notifications. Now, under Awaab’s Law, landlords have to respond to “emergency” mould hazards within 24 hours, and “significant” hazards within 15 days. Serious challenges Complying with the law poses serious technical, resource and public engagement challenges for landlords, and the sector is still feeling its way. To help, CIOB and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) joined forces to publish a useful playbook – Tackling damp and mould: Professional practice, cultural change and regulation in social housing – providing landlords with advice on recognising damp and mould, problem solving with residents and taking steps to resolve root causes. Update from the front In this month’s 21CC podcast, we speak to experts who contributed to the playbook, and provide an update from the frontline in the ongoing battle against this serious problem. We hear from Professor John Edwards FCIOB, who wrote the section on how to inspect properties for the hazard, and CIH policy lead Dr Eve Blezard on the need to avoid scapegoating residents. Claire Hawley and Leon Sidebottom, who lead customer engagement for Berneslai Homes, share what they learned about what works and what doesn’t in engaging tenants. And researchers Dr Graeme Sherriff and Philip Martin from the University of Salford’s Sustainable Housing and Urban Studies Unit share insights from their extensive research into how damp and mould affects households in Greater Manchester. We think this pacey podcast will interest people across a wide range of roles and responsibilities in the housing sector.
This month marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.
Plant trees down high streets. Retrofit schools, hospitals and care homes with external shading. Cool down beds and install ceiling fans. Legislate for minimum indoor temperatures. Ban glass towers. Paint roofs white. Set up a cooling refuge in every community. Reduce glazing and install windows that open.
For the last three years, DragonHeart Homes, a CIOB company in Peterborough that makes modular units for public-sector housing, has employed prisoners from HMP North Sea Camp, a Category-D open men’s prison outside Boston in Lincolnshire.
The end of April saw two major announcements regarding humanoid robots, a technology the construction sector hopes can work with the human workforce to improve productivity.