Industry body opens mental health consultation

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has launched an industry-wide consultation to address the root causes of poor mental health across the construction sector.

Its initiative follows a series of focus groups held by the CLC in partnership with mental health charity Mates in Mind and the University of Warwick.

The consultation, which opened on 24 September and part of the CLC’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing Strategy, is due to close on 5 November 2025. A final action plan is expected in spring 2026.

The consultation document sets out a series of contributory factors to mental ill-health in construction and invites stakeholders to share views on how these could be eliminated, reduced or controlled. It draws on a ‘hierarchy of control’ model to support systemic responses to industry pressures.

The CLC said the UK construction industry faces a suicide rate almost twice as high than the national average. The latest official data from the Office of National Statistics shows that there were 30 suicides per 100,000 construction workers in 2021.

In its statement announcing the consultation, the CLC said that “these are not numbers – they are husbands, wives, dads, mums, children and friends”.

CLC co-chair and Mace executive chairman Mark Reynolds said the consultation was a “vital step” in shaping a national strategy.

“As leaders in the built environment and construction sector, we have a collective responsibility to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of our people,” said Reynolds. “By working in partnership and being ambitious, we can drive improvements in mental health across the sector.”

The consultation aims to gather industry perspectives on how work-related pressures could be prevented or better managed.

Its findings will inform a future guidance framework, developed with support from industry leaders and stakeholders, the CLC said.