CLC publishes Mental Health Joint Code of Practice
The JCOP aims to provide leaders and businesses, across the sector, with a framework to create an environment that fosters better mental health for their workforce.
The work was lead for the CLC by the Department for Business and Trade, Heathrow, the Crown Estate, BAM UK and Ireland, Mates In Mind and the University of Warwick, supported by their partners Marsh, BCLP and the New Hospital Programme.
CLC said:
We are tragically losing too many people in the sector, due to suicide. In today's world, with the plethora of existing support services, this is unacceptable. The health, safety and wellbeing of our workforce must be of paramount importance. The time for action, as leaders, is now.
Whilst we recognise there is great work taking place across the construction sector in the mental health space, for too long those efforts have focused mainly on intervention, once people are already struggling. As a new approach, the JCOP is designed through the lens of prevention, enabling businesses to support employees before it reaches that stage.
The Code is designed as a catalyst and living framework to address the five key hazards impacting the workforce's mental health:
- Working patterns (e.g. long hours and excessive travel)
- People factors and work environment (welfare, dignity and respect)
- Operational factors (e.g. commercial pressures)
- Barriers to mental health support (stigma and low mental health literacy stop people getting help)
- Financial factors (late payment and financial insecurity)
Details of how to sign up to the JCOP is available here.
