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Building Mental Health Alliance Wins Major UK Award for Innovation

Date

Oct 08, 2024
Building Mental Health Alliance Wins Major UK Award for Innovation image
(l to r) - Ian Coombes, Safety Groups UK (SGUK) Board Member; Ernie Spence, Building Mental Health Alliance (BMHA) Secretary; Andrew Cooke, Group SHE Director, GRAHAM & BMHA Committee Member; Rachel Dorovatas, Director of Industry Training & Support, CITBNI and BMHA Committee Member; Norman Stevenson, SGUK Board Member; and Stephen Laws, Chair, SGUK.

Building Mental Health Alliance (BMHA) Recognized for Groundbreaking Signposting Service.

The Building Mental Health Alliance (BMHA) is proud to announce it has won the prestigious Safety Groups UK (SGUK) Award for Innovation 2024. The award recognizes the BMHA's pioneering Mental Health in Construction Signposting Service, a crucial resource for workers in the industry.

Building Mental Health Support

Formed in Northern Ireland, the BMHA stemmed from a meeting of 26 organizations passionate about addressing mental health concerns within the construction industry. Recognizing a critical need for greater awareness, accessible support, and employee training, the BMHA emerged as a collective force.

A survey of the industry revealed a lack of awareness of the support that was already available within Northern Ireland, and so this became one of the three pillars of BMHA's mission – to bridge this gap and be the signposting service that connects workers with the plethora of existing support services.

Construction Industry Collaboration

This initiative represents the first time various stakeholder organizations within the construction industry have come together under the shared mantra: "By the Industry, for the Industry." The Mental Health in Construction Signposting Service, accessible through a simple QR code, provides an easy-to-navigate path to a range of mental health resources.

Award-Winning Mental Health Service

The SGUK Award judges acknowledged the service's “comprehensiveness, impact, and innovative approach” to a critical issue in the construction industry. They praised the reproducibility of the model for other industries and health and safety problems. Wilson Lambe, BMHA Chair, expressed his elation at the award, highlighting the collective effort and industry-wide collaboration that led to its success. He emphasized that while celebrating the number of users isn't a key focus, facilitating access to support services is a significant accomplishment. The BMHA readily offers assistance to any organization seeking to implement a similar initiative.

About the Building Mental Health Alliance

The BMHA is a Northern Ireland-based coalition of trade bodies, federations, large contractors, and health and safety supporters. Their mission is to promote mental health awareness, provide accessible support services, and equip employees to recognize and address mental health challenges within the construction industry.

Learn More & Get Involved

As we approach World Mental Health Day, the Building Mental Health Alliance (BMHA) stands with the global community in emphasizing the critical importance of prioritizing mental health in construction. This year's official theme, "It is time to prioritize mental health in the construction workplace," resonates deeply with BMHA's mission to provide accessible and effective mental health support to construction workers.

To learn more about the BMHA, access free resources, or discover how to get involved, click here.