Interserve Construction staff in Scotland were invited along to the events at which the team were encouraged to open up and speak about mental health within the construction industry.

Challenging workloads, long working hours, tight deadlines, family separation and lots of travel can all contribute to this problem within the sector.

Speaking after the event, Regional director, Cameron Stewart, said: “We were delighted to have a number of staff members at the events today.  Staff welfare is vitally important to us and I’m glad that over recent years, mental health in the construction industry is being addressed more and more.

“Last month, we provided mental health training to six of our staff members, not only to increase awareness but also to facilitate help and advice for people in need in our offices and sites throughout Scotland.”

He added: “A recent CIOB survey found that 68.2% of respondents had suffered from mental illness, 44% had time off due to mental health issues but 75% of the people had not raised their problems with management.

“This is a real problem within the industry and Interserve is working hard to make the conversation with our team on the issue easier and more open.”