Congratulations to three more Howard Civil Engineering colleagues who were awarded their Mental Health First Aid certificates last week!

Clara Greensmith (Payroll Coordinator, left), Tom Mitchell (Assistant Accountant, centre) and Chloe-Leigh Preston (Marketing Apprentice, right) each attended a two-day course in which they learned how to recognise signs of poor mental health and how to assist those who may be struggling.

This means that Howard Civil Engineering has supported a total of five team members in their journey to becoming Mental Health First Aiders. Chloe-Leigh, Clara, and Tom join James Derry (Procurement Manager) and Sophie Henderson (Pre-Construction Coordinator) as qualified Mental Health First Aiders with the ability to offer a helping hand to employees struggling with poor mental wellbeing.

“I am very pleased to be able to join my colleagues in becoming a qualified Mental Health First Aider,” said Clara. “We are all very aware of the current state of mental wellbeing in the construction industry, and I feel it is very important for us as Mental Health First Aiders to raise awareness of the signs of poor mental health and help our colleagues who are struggling.

“Awareness of the dangers of poor mental wellbeing is getting better across the industry, and I believe that if we keep learning, we can keep helping.”

Mental health in the construction industry has been an increasingly hot topic, with one in 10 construction workers admitting to having poor mental health in a study published by Construction Excellence South West in 2021, and 62% reporting feeling stressed.

Howard Civil Engineering is committed to increasing awareness of poor mental health, including educating our team members on the warning signs and encouraging team members to discuss mental health openly in the workplace.