Seddon’s Nicola Hodkinson has warned that construction must treat mental health with the same focus on prevention that has transformed physical safety on site.

Writing for Health & Safety Matters, Nicola, Owner of Seddon and Chair of mental health charity Mates in Mind, highlighted the scale of the challenge facing the industry. The latest ONS figures show that 355 people working in skilled construction and building trades died by suicide in England and Wales in 2024. A 2025 CIOB report found that 26% of construction workers surveyed had experienced suicidal thoughts, while only 56% said their employer had a mental health policy in place.

Nicola Hodkinson, Owner of Seddon, said: “Construction has never improved safety by waiting for harm to occur. Psychological safety is created through what happens on site every day.”

Nicola explained that tight programmes, long hours, labour shortages, job uncertainty and financial worries can all build up over time. Workers who move between projects, employers and supply chains, including subcontractors and agency staff, can also find it harder to access support.

To tackle this, Nicola is urging construction leaders to make wellbeing part of everyday safety management. That means training managers to notice changes in behaviour and start difficult conversations early, and getting to know everyone working on a project, not just directly employed staff. It also means planning workloads realistically, reviewing programmes when pressure becomes unsustainable, and making sure people know how to access confidential support, with follow-ups rather than a one-off referral.

Nicola believes that protecting people’s wellbeing is the right thing to do, and that it also helps businesses retain skilled workers, build stronger teams and deliver better projects.

 

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