2025 Wrapped: Supporting the Mental Health and Well-being of Construction Workers

As we enter a new year, it feels like the ideal time to stop and reflect on the achievements of the past year.  At the conception of Haswell Training, the drive to support workplace well-being has been at the heart of our ethos.  Our name, Haswell, reflects one of our primary objectives; to develop a business that is responsive to the mental health and wellbeing needs of the customers we serve.

At a time of alarming rates of workplace stress (HSE publishes annual workplace health and safety statistics – HSE Media Centre), it is vital to explore what already exists to equip businesses with the tools to best support their employees but also what might be missing in terms of addressing the significant mental health challenges seen across multiple communities.

The unique selling point (USP) of the Haswell Training approach is that all of our mental health and well-being services are designed and facilitated by HCPC (The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) | The HCPC) qualified Occupational Therapists; with myself bringing 15 years of experience within the NHS and Higher Education to the team.  2025 came with lots of opportunities to work in a truly bespoke way.  It has been a pleasure to use our skills and knowledge to work with, and learn from, local organisations and start to develop services that are truly responsive to local needs. 

So here is a roundup of our year in well-being…….

Of course, business as usual continued for us; delivery of the Qualsafe (Ofqual Regulated) Levels 1-3 Mental Health in the Workplace courses and on-site toolbox talks and well-being drop-in’s for our construction customers.  The regular toolbox talks and on-site well-being drop-in’s providing a safe and supportive environment to share experiences and seek confidential advice and guidance. 

Alongside this, we have had the privilege of providing tailored services to exchange knowledge, encourage discussion and reflection and support organisations to consider how to build a mentally healthy culture in their area.

· We designed and delivered free Suicide awareness workshops as part of Mental Health Awareness Week – reaching those in the construction, property and marketing industries.

· Facilitation of a staff development session focused on Mental Health in the Construction Industry for the Health and Safety Executive East of England team.  We discussed statistics and explored what these mean in reality for those working day-to-day within the industry.  Space was created to reflect on the role of HSE inspectors in supporting the development of a mentally healthy industry.

· We were invited by the CITB Site Safety Plus (SSP) Product Development Team to deliver a staff development session.  This created an opportunity to recognise the importance of supporting the industry to continue to strive for a culture that fosters mentally healthy workplaces and acknowledge the role that training has within this. 

· We worked in collaboration with the CITB Site Safety Product Development team to create a Mental Health InfoBite; an evidence-based resource to be used to support SSP trainers across the UK.

· Supporting with the above initiatives this year also provided us with important insights to contribute to the South Norfolk and Broadland Health and Wellbeing Partnerships workshops.  These were established to explore the needs of local construction workers and provided an opportunity to bring together different services and professionals from across the region.

· Contributing to the hugely successful Bright Futures Live event at City College Norwich was another highlight of the year.  Supporting workplace wellbeing and creating mentally healthy cultures begins at a young age; equipping young people with the knowledge and tools to support themselves and others is an important component in the catalyst for change. 

· Finally, we had the pleasure of ending the year with a bespoke Mental Health and Well-being session for the Internal Drainage Boards.  An interactive session that encouraged honest conversation and reflection – an important way to round off the year.

So, what will 2026 bring?  We are excited to find out.  We are keen to continue to expand on the 2025 developments; taking our bespoke approaches beyond the construction industry and working with businesses to explore the needs of their workforce and collaborate to create tailored support.  Because with mental health, one size really does not fit all.

Charmaine Chandler

Head of Well-Being, Haswell Training

Registered Occupational Therapist (HCPC: OT61743)