Mental Health Under Construction (Of Site Set-Ups!)

Deniz Kayimbasioglu, Design Manager, Overbury

As a contractor, we strive for two things - delivering the perfect product while ensuring the safest possible environment for our labour, consultants, and clients. We create amazing buildings and interiors that are awe inspiring, have no snags and are spotless. One thing that has historically been neglected however, has been the site set-ups.

I remember my first construction experience. I was working on a Grade II listed mansion, located at the Bishops Avenue, Hampstead. One of the most expensive streets in the UK. We, the architects, and contractors, were based in a metal portacabin, using a heater saved from a skip at -8°C. We resembled more the Michelin Man than ourselves. At the time, no-one batted an eyelid. We were working at a construction site after all.

There has been a huge effort in the construction industry to ensure the physical safety of our workers. Providing all sorts of preventative measures and PPE to ensure they do not get a scratch while working. This is important and we should always aim to do more. One death due to unsafe conditions is way too many. But let’s talk real numbers. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reported that in the year 2021 to 2022, there were 30 fatalities due to health and safety-related incidents, while a whopping 507 construction workers lost their lives due to suicide. Once again, the construction industry racks up the highest number of mental health related deaths across any industry. It’s not acceptable. We must do something about it.

As someone who comes from an architectural and interior design background, over the years, I have seen a lot of progress. Mental health first aiders are trained at construction sites, and brochures are shared to ensure struggling workers know which options are available to them if they look for help. Toolbox talks are often held to ensure stigma around mental health is tackled. These are fantastic to ensure that when times are hard, people can reach out for help easier.

“A robust mind goes with a healthy body. It is high time that all on-site staff get healthful and nurturing work environments”

As a designer, since I joined Overbury, I have had the opportunity to also focus on site set-ups. The reason for this is the outlook of my company to ensure that my colleagues, our clients as well as our sub-contractors have the optimum conditions to work in. We provide different work and collaboration zones as we acknowledge different personality types requiring different work settings. We have break-out spaces as well as game areas with ping pong tables, pool tables, golf holes and so on, to allow everyone on our sites to take mental break when needed. We also provide wellbeing rooms, prayer rooms and ablution rooms to cater for diverse cultural and religious needs. This approach is undeniably a new one and should be spread. Here are a few reasons as to why.

Let me let you into a little secret our work environment has a huge impact on our mental wellbeing. Imagine that we all spend a minimum of 7.5 hours a day at work. Add to that transportation and you will realise that most of our waking hours are spent at work. A small consideration like a comfortable task chair can mean avoiding chronic back pain. Using products such as sit-stand desks and adjustable monitor arms can mean a healthier posture. According to WebMD, 65% of people suffering from depression, complain of pain. The construction world should not be expecting employees to come with a doctor’s report to ensure the right work setting is provided. Investing in a healthier employee can drastically reduce absenteeism and improve employee performance.

Research tells us that working in a well-lit environment with good air quality and acoustic conditions elevate employee comfort, mood, and productivity. Not having these parameters can lead the employees to feel unwell both physically and mentally. Imagine, this is seen so often that there is even a medical name attached to it - The Sick Building Syndrome.

It is proven by psychologists that having a view of nature at work can ensure that workers will have improved life satisfaction, will enjoy better health, and will have increased job fulfilment. Something so simple as adding a touch of colour is proven to have an impact on our temperament. Hence, hospitals are surrounded with blue and green colours for example - since these colours trigger calmness, reduce stress and may even induce sleepiness. Adding the effect of the colour green to the impact of nature on people, it can be a simple solution to introduce biophilia to improve one’s work atmosphere while reducing stress levels.

Although the above are only a few examples, I would really like to hope that they will spark more conversations about this topic to ensure that gone will be the days of subpar work environments for site-based staff. A robust mind goes with a healthy body. It is high time that all on site staff get healthful and nurturing work environments. And while doing that, perhaps we can influence some positivity into the lives of our workers to ensure that the construction industry is no longer known to be the biggest mental health-related killer.