Campaign Aims to Tackle Local Building Trade's Mental Health Crisis
‘Bummed Out’ to support men working in the industry
Over a quarter of construction workers said they had had suicidal thoughts
July 21, 2025
A new mental health campaign, "Bummed Out," has been launched to support men in the building trade after research revealed that over a quarter of construction workers had had suicidal thoughts in the past year.
Hounslow Council is urging men in the industry to seek help as it shines a light on the pressures of chronic pain, long hours, and financial and relationship worries that can leave them feeling desperate.
The move follows a stark May 2025 report from the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), which uncovered a "mental health crisis" in the sector. The survey of over 900 workers found that alongside high stress levels, 83% had experienced anxiety and 60% had suffered from depression.
Most worryingly, more than one in four (28%) admitted to having had suicidal thoughts in the past year.
This national trend has had a devastating local impact. In Hounslow, there have been 76 recorded male suicides since 2020. Around one in ten of these men worked in construction, an industry that employs only 3% of the borough's residents.
In response, the Council’s Public Health team has compiled a resource list of local and national organisations that can provide support for everything from depression and stress to the underlying causes, including debt, addiction, and relationship breakdown. Materials for the campaign are being made available in both English and Polish, after it was noted that four of the men who died by suicide were Polish nationals.
As part of the initiative, representatives from the local support group Men’s Minds will visit building sites and workplaces to speak directly with men about the help available.
For some, the stigma in the male-dominated industry makes it hard to speak out. One Hounslow resident, who has worked on building sites for decades, said he had struggled to talk about his depression.
“It’s not an easy game, especially as you get older,” said the man, who asked not to be named. “There’s a stigma around it, so you kept it to yourself. I’ve seen a lot of people on sites and I know they’re not well.”
He described joining a support group as a major turning point. “Coming to Men’s Minds was a big step for me. It’s the first time I’ve ever done anything like this. It’s been a big help, just being able to talk about it.”
Another local man explained how the stress of his engineering job led to severe physical health problems, including a skin condition and high blood pressure. “The job definitely had an effect on all this,” he said.
The Council’s list of support organisations can be found on its website.
To arrange for the local support group Men’s Minds to visit your workplace, please contact: elizabeth.ctori@hounslow.gov.uk.
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