Richard Hanney, Head of Construction at Weston College, discusses the mental health challenges facing the construction industry, and the college’s approach to supporting students.

Can you introduce construction at Weston College?

At Weston College, construction is more than just learning a trade – it’s about developing skilled, work ready individuals who understand both the technical and human side of the industry. We deliver a wide range of programmes across trades including bricklaying, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, and plastering, all rooted in real world application. Our focus is on high standards, professional behaviours, and building a culture that reflects industry expectations from day one. We don’t just train learners to pass qualifications; we prepare them to thrive in demanding, fast paced environments.

How do you prepare learners for the realities of the workplace? 

We mirror industry as closely as possible. That means clear expectations around punctuality, standards, teamwork, and accountability. From day one, learners are expected to present themselves professionally in industry standard uniform and bring their own tools, helping to build pride, responsibility, and a true sense of belonging to the trade.

Learners experience real life working conditions through employer set projects, live briefs, and meaningful work experience. Alongside this, we’ve worked with employers to define the “top 10 tasks” for each trade, the core, practical skills that allow learners to contribute from their very first day on site or in an apprenticeship.

We also place a strong emphasis on behaviours, how to communicate, how to respond to pressure, and how to take pride in their work. The goal is simple: when they step onto site, nothing feels unfamiliar, and they are ready to add value immediately.

How do you support them with mental and emotional challenges? 

We take a proactive, whole learner approach. Mental health and wellbeing are embedded into tutorials, personal development sessions, and day today interactions. Staff are trained to spot early signs of struggle, and we create environments where learners feel safe to talk. We also connect them with wider support services where needed.

A key part of our approach is recognising the reality of construction as a predominantly male industry, where mental health challenges are often underreported. National data shows that suicide rates in construction are significantly higher than in many other sectors, and this is often linked to stigma, pressure, and a culture where individuals feel they have to “just get on with it.” We address this directly with our learners.

This academic year, our construction team has responded to several high profile incidents involving learner wellbeing. Our collaborative, proactive approach, working closely with college support services and external stakeholders, has been a strong demonstration of our culture and ethos in action, ensuring learners receive the right support at the right time.

We work hard to break down those barriers early, normalising conversations around men’s mental health and reinforcing that speaking up is not a weakness, but a strength. We encourage learners to look out for each other, to check in, and to understand that a simple conversation can make a real difference. Just as importantly, we educate them that mental health is no different to physical health , if something isn’t right, it needs support, not silence.

Ultimately, we are not just preparing learners to work in construction, we are preparing them to navigate its pressures in a healthier, more sustainable way, both for themselves and for the teams they will be part of.

Why does construction face such high levels of mental health issues?

Construction faces a unique combination of pressures that, when layered together, significantly increase the risk of poor mental health. At its core, it is a high demand, high pressure industry. Tight deadlines, long hours, physically demanding work, and constant pressure to deliver all contribute to chronic stress and fatigue. Research consistently highlights stress, anxiety, and depression as the most common forms of psychological distress among construction workers.

Beyond the day today pressures, there are wider structural challenges. Job insecurity, fluctuating workloads, financial pressure, and working away from home can all lead to social isolation and strain on personal relationships. These factors don’t just affect performance on site, they impact life outside of work, creating a cycle that is difficult to break.

There is also a strong link between physical and mental health in construction. Longterm pain, injury, and fatigue are common, and evidence shows these can contribute directly to psychological distress over time.

Critically, the industry often lacks consistent, visible support systems. Limited social support, poor help seeking behaviours, and a lack of integrated mental health provision mean that issues can build up unnoticed. In some cases, individuals turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as alcohol or substance use, which further compounds the problem.

When you combine all of this, high pressure, physical strain, job insecurity, and limited support, you create an environment where mental health challenges are more likely to develop and less likely to be addressed early. That is why the industry continues to see disproportionately high levels of mental health issues compared to many other sectors.

What cultural norms in construction make it hard to talk about mental health?

One of the biggest barriers in construction is cultural rather than structural. The industry has long been built on values such as toughness, resilience, and self-reliance. While these are important qualities, they have often been interpreted in a way that discourages openness, where showing vulnerability is seen as weakness rather than strength.

Research shows that in male dominated industries like construction, individuals are more likely to adopt and reinforce “masculine norms” such as emotional control, independence, and reluctance to seek help. In particular, a strong emphasis on self-reliance has been identified as a key factor linked to poorer mental health outcomes.

There is also a persistent stigma around mental health. Many workers feel uncomfortable discussing personal struggles, and conversations tend to stay at surface level. Evidence shows that deeper discussions about mental health are rare, and individuals often mask their difficulties, sometimes until a crisis point, which is why serious incidents can appear to come “out of the blue.”

The social dynamics on site can reinforce this. Banter, humour, and a tough communication style are part of the culture and can build strong team bonds, but they can also act as a barrier. It is often easier to deflect with humour than to open up about how you’re really feeling.

Finally, there is often a lack of confidence in how to respond. Many workers and managers simply don’t feel equipped to have conversations about mental health, which means opportunities to support each other are missed.

Changing this doesn’t mean losing the identity of the industry, it means evolving it. The next step for construction is to redefine strength, where resilience includes the ability to speak up, support others, and recognise when something isn’t right.

How do these pressures affect wellbeing?

If left unchecked, these pressures don’t just lead to stress they compound into sustained psychological distress. Research shows that construction workers commonly experience overlapping issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, and fatigue, often all at once rather than in isolation.

What makes construction particularly challenging is how these pressures build over time. Tight deadlines, long hours, and physical strain create cumulative stress, which can lead to burnout, reduced concentration, and poor decision making. On site, that has real consequences mental fatigue is directly linked to lower safety awareness, increased incident rates, and reduced quality of work.

There is also a wider human impact. Evidence shows that poor mental health in construction doesn’t stay at work it affects relationships, increases social isolation, and can lead to harmful coping mechanisms such as substance use.

At its most serious, the consequences are stark. Suicide rates in construction remain significantly higher than the national average, highlighting what happens when pressure, stigma, and lack of support intersect over time.

In short, this isn’t just a wellbeing issue it’s a performance, safety, and human issue combined.

Why is a focus on mental health so important in construction?

Because mental health underpins everything the industry relies on safety, productivity, and people.

Research consistently shows that psychological distress has a direct impact on safety outcomes, productivity, and overall work quality. When individuals are struggling mentally, they are less focused, less engaged, and more likely to make mistakes. In a high risk environment like construction, that can be the difference between a near miss and a serious incident.

There is also a clear business case. Mental health related issues account for hundreds of thousands of lost working days across the industry, alongside increased absenteeism and reduced performance.

But beyond performance, this is about sustainability of the workforce. The industry is already facing skills shortages if people are burning out, leaving, or not entering the sector due to its reputation, that challenge only grows.

We’ve made significant progress in physical safety over the last 20 years. The next step is clear: mental health needs to be treated with the same level of priority, structure, and accountability. Not as an initiative but as a core part of how we operate.

What can learners do to support themselves and others?

The starting point is awareness. Learners need to understand that mental health is part of the job, not separate from it. Recognising early signs of stress whether that’s fatigue, frustration, or withdrawal is critical, because research shows these issues often build gradually over time.

Secondly, we encourage them to challenge the culture they are entering. Evidence shows that in construction, many individuals don’t seek help and often mask how they’re feeling, which is why serious issues can appear to come “out of the blue.” Learners have an opportunity to be part of changing that by talking, checking in with each other, and creating peer support networks from day one.

There’s also a practical element: knowing where to go for support, whether that’s a tutor, employer, or external service. Confidence in accessing help is just as important as recognising the need for it.

Ultimately, we want learners to take responsibility not just for their own wellbeing, but for the team around them. In construction, no one works alone and that applies to mental health just as much as it does to safety.

What could a mentally healthier industry look like in 10 years?

A mentally healthier construction industry would look very different but in many ways, it would feel familiar.

The biggest shift would be cultural. Research highlights that stigma, macho culture, and poor help seeking behaviours are key barriers today. In 10 years, those barriers should be significantly reduced. Conversations about mental health would be normalised no different to discussions about physical safety.

From a structural perspective, we would see consistent systems in place across the industry: trained managers who understand mental health, clear support pathways, and proactive wellbeing strategies embedded into day to day operations. Evidence already shows that organisational support and open communication are among the most effective ways to reduce psychological distress.

Most importantly, individuals would feel confident speaking up early before issues escalate. That’s the real shift: moving from reactive support to preventative culture.

How would the industry change if mental health matched physical safety in priority?

It would be transformational.

We know from decades of progress in physical safety that when the industry prioritises something, it improves. The same principle applies here. If mental health was treated with equal importance measured, discussed, and embedded into daily practice you would see tangible changes across the board.

Safety would improve, because workers would be more focused and less fatigued. Productivity would increase, as individuals are more engaged and able to perform at their best. Teams would be stronger, with better communication and trust.

Crucially, retention would improve. Research shows that poor mental health contributes to people leaving the industry, while stigma discourages new entrants. Addressing this would not only protect the current workforce but also make construction more attractive to the next generation.

Ultimately, it would shift construction from being seen as a high-pressure, high-risk environment to a high performance, people focused industry. One that delivers not just on projects but on the wellbeing of the people who build them.