The research was commissioned by the Lighthouse Club, the only charity that provides financial and emotional support to the construction community and their families.

The number of suicides per 100,000 construction workers rose from 26 in 2015 to 29 in 2019, with workers in the construction industry three times more likely to take their own life than in other sectors.

Those working in non-manual occupations, such as managers and professionals, have lower rates, which have also seen an overall drop from just under seven per 100,000 in 2015 to just under five in 2019 – whereas labourers have seen the rate rise from 48 to just over 73.

The research, led by Professor Billy Hare, has also helped develop a ‘dashboard’ which identifies measurable data on construction safety, health and wellbeing. It will be updated yearly, allowing industry organisations, policy makers and researchers to view trends, track the progress of industry initiatives, and inform future decision making.

Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Club, said: “It is worrying that our support is not reaching the ‘boots on the ground’ workforce. This could be because about 53% of our workforce are self employed, agency or zero hour contractors and we are simply not getting our message down the supply chain.

“Even more worrying, is that these statistics are pre-pandemic so the full impact of this won’t be revealed until further data is released in October of this year.”

Professor Hare said: “This occupational group (unskilled workers) is usually higher than average for suicides, but the sharp rise and widening gap over the period analysed, in contrast to their non-manual colleagues, is concerning and may indicate recent initiatives are not reaching these more vulnerable sectors of the industry.

“In 2017 the Thriving at Work report commissioned by the government and undertaken by Lord Stevenson and Mark Farmer highlighted poor mental health in construction. Since then, the industry has been engaged in many initiatives to improve the overall wellbeing of the sector.

“But sadly, this latest research highlights that mental wellbeing initiatives aimed at protecting our construction work may not be reaching those who need it the most.”

You can find out more about the Lighthouse Club and the services it provides on www.lighthouseclub.org.