Ford has used this year’s Commercial Vehicle Show to announce its backing of an initiative to try and halt high levels of suicides in the UK construction industry.
Britain’s biggest commercial vehicle manufacturer is joining forces with the Lighthouse Club charity and building giant Balfour Beatty in the ‘Make it Visible’ campaign, combating an issue which currently sees construction-worker suicide rates running at two per day.
While building firms are now required to provide extensive physical protections for their employees, mental pressures continue to take a toll on building workers, leading to some taking their own lives without realising the help and support that is available to them.
The Lighthouse Club operates a team of mental health professionals to provide support to workers on construction sites, and as part of the campaign they will wear distinctive high-vis vests so they can be easily identified. Similarly liveried posters will direct workers with issues to safe locations off-site where they can discuss their problems with the professionals.
Ford will provide a fleet of vans, again in the same bright green, yellow and pink livery, to enable the Lighthouse team to get to construction sites. “These highly distinguishable vans will be visiting sites across the country to deliver visible support to the boots-on-the-ground workforce,” Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Club, said.
“The vehicles are manned by the Lighthouse Club’s on-site team who are all mental health First Aiders with relatable experiences in the construction industry,” he added. “I am convinced that this impact will have a positive impact on workplace well-being and ultimately save lives.”
Ford of Britain commercial vehicles director, Mandy Dean, said that the campaign is hugely important to the manufacturer. “As the UK’s best-selling commercial vehicle brand it is likely that the majority of construction workers are also Ford customers and operators, so we feel we have a duty to support them,” she added.
