The Construction Industry Council (CIC) Yorkshire and Humberside is launching its first Health Leadership Briefing on Mental Health and The Construction Industry, on the evening of 9 June at Leeds Beckett University.

Health and safety is a major priority in the construction industry. The UK has one of the safest construction industries in the world thanks to industry regulations and the greater awareness of the importance of safety by the construction workforce. Having established good safety measures, the industry now needs to focus its attention on the health of its workforce.

This event is the first in a series of Health Leadership Briefings, in which the Construction Industry Council Yorkshire and Humberside will raise awareness of a number of key health issues, starting with mental health and the construction industry.

Mental health is often seen as a taboo subject and it is one of the least talked about issues in the industry; perhaps this is because of its largely male workforce. Research carried out by the HSE in 2007 found that 88% of those working in construction experience some level of work-related stress and 5% describe themselves as suffering from depression or an anxiety related illness.

This briefing will address questions such as: What do we mean by mental health? What can we do as an industry to promote a mentally healthier workforce? What are an employer’s legal obligations? Guest speakers include: Peter Crosland, CECA; Paul Croston, MIND; Natalie Saunders, Genus Law.

Stefanie Stead, chair of the CIC Yorkshire and Humberside and an architect at Pearce Bottomley Architects said: 'In these economically and environmentally challenging times, following a deep and protracted global downturn, during which construction shed a great many skilled jobs which it is now struggling to replace, we must be mindful of the pressures and strains on the workforce. Mental health is as important as physical health to the well-being of our industry. This event has been organised to raise awareness of mental health issues on the industry’s Health & Safety agenda.'

Booking details for this event are available at http://bit.ly/1S0wnJO. The £10 ticket price includes a £5 donation to MIND.