It doesn’t matter what kind of job you do without a doubt good mental mental health is of utmost importance and its deterioration can affect anything from our mood and the way we relate with other people to our productivity and professionalism.
In the construction and trades industry is even more important, especially when it comes to males. According to research from Iron Mongery suicide is the number one killer for men over 42 and if you are a tradesman you have 1.6 more chances to die of suicide than the national average. 29% of all males dying of suicide in the UK are tradesmen accounting to almost 2 every single day!
This is a very grim statistic but we are not helpless against it, there are steps we can take to change this. This is one of my big passions, to have a positive impact on the issue of mental heath within our industry.
I will give you some tips on how you can work on improving your mental health on another blog (you can read it here). In this one we will see what are some of the very common situations that can have a negative impact to our mental health.
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High work related pressure
In our industry we constantly involve in physically demanding tasks, tight or unrealistic deadlines, and high-pressure situations. This can lead to stress, anxiety, burnout and low work satisfaction. -
Physical strain
Physical demanding task are more frequent in trades like builders and ground worker but they aren’t they only ones that can have long and hard days, it happens to us the sparks as well!
Chronic pains, injuries, and long-term health issues from the wrong use on no use of PPE can have a negative affect to our mental health -
Injuries
By nature our jobs are physical and an accident can sometimes leave you unable to work and if you are self-employed this will also lead to loss of income.
Many of us also are very proud of what we have achieved at the end of a job especially if it was a tricky one. Not being able to work due to an injury can lead to a low sense of satisfaction with our lives in general -
Job insecurity
We all have heard the old saying, you go from feast to famine. Although personally I believe this can be avoided with good business planning and coaching this is the reality for many smaller trades business owners. Recessions can be another time that can create a lot of anxiety as well. -
A sense of isolation and lack of support
On a questionnaire I shared a couple of year ago this was one of the most common struggle among electricians but I believe is true from plumbers, carpenters and all the other trades.
Some jobs involve working away from home or working alone for many days or weeks. This isolation can lead to feelings of loneliness and lack of social support. -
Stigma and macho culture
Big boys don’t cry and keep the good old British stiff upper lip. Isn’t this the narrative many grow up? We all prefer to show a macho character around the lads at the building site and open discussions about mental health aren’t really encouraged. The stigma around mental health will make many to put a brave face and carry on grafting. I will admit though that we are slowly getting better on this on in the UK.
Click here to read some of the steps you can take to improve your mental health.
George is an electrician and a psychotherapist