The UK ’ s commercial vehicle leader is stepping in to help combat the issue that as many as two construction workers are lost to suicide every day , according to the Office for National Statistics . Despite extensive physical safety measures taken to protect on-site workers , construction workers in the UK and Ireland are taking their own lives , unaware of the help and support available .

Working with the Lighthouse Club and Balfour Beatty - Ford is actively promoting wellbeing awareness amongst its customers . With Ford accounting for almost one in three new commercial vehicles sold throughout 2021 , putting mental safety on an equal footing with physical safety on construction sites , is an important step for this customer group . By helping to make the support more visible , more workers will be able to seek assistance from available resources .

“ This campaign is hugely important to Ford and highlights the importance of mental wellbeing alongside physical wellbeing on the construction site ”, said Mandy Dean , director , commercial vehicles , Ford of Britain . “ As the UK ’ s best-selling

commercial vehicle brand , it is likely the majority of construction workers are Ford customers and operators , so we have a duty to support them .”

The Make it Visible campaign follows on from Ford ’ s Time to Change launch “ Elephant in the Transit ” from 2018 , building awareness of male suicide and promoting the front seat of a vehicle as a safe space to talk .

This latest initiative sets out to provide counsellors a means to get to construction sites , with onsite posters matching the vest ’ s colours . These posters will direct workers to a safe place to talk off-site , so more can seek help easily .

Bill Hill CEO of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity said , “ We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with Ford to deliver the ‘ Make it Visible ’ campaign . These highly distinguishable vans , will be visiting sites across the country to deliver visible support to the boots on the ground workforce . The vehicles are manned by the Lighthouse Club ’ s On Site Team who are all Mental Health First Aiders will relateable experiences in the construction industry and I am convinced

that this initiative will have a positive impact on workforce wellbeing and ultimately save lives .”

The Make it Visible campaign launched at this year ’ s Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham , supported by a fully liveried Transit Custom in matching high-visibility tones . These highly distinguishable vans will ultimately provide real support on the ground , transporting Mental Health First Aiders to the sites and workers around the country , with the aim of making it the goto beacon on the street .

• The Make it Visible campaign sets out to combat construction worker suicide , affecting up to two people per day , in partnership with The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity , supported by Balfour Beatty

• ‘ Higher-viz ’ vest will identify designated on-site support councillor at construction sites across the country

www . lighthouseclub . org www . constructionindustryhelpline . com

A tool has been stolen from a tradesperson every 17 minutes in England , Wales and Northern Ireland since March 2021 , according to new analysis of police force data from Direct Line business insurance . In total , 31,161 tools were stolen , the majority of which ( 17,370 ) were taken by thieves breaking into vehicles .

This marks an increase since before the Covid-19 pandemic . In the 2019 calendar year 28,681 cases of tool theft were reported , the equivalent of one stolen every 20 minutes .

This growing problem is unsurprisingly hitting tradespeople hard financially . With the average value of a stolen tool costing £ 3852 , there has been £ 80 million worth of equipment taken over the last year , compounding the issues for tradespeople trying to bounce back from the pandemic .

While thefts from London represented 62 per cent of all incidents ( 19,351 ), Northumbria came out on top when population density was considered .

Alison Traboulsi , Product Manager at Direct Line business insurance commented :

Regions with the highest levels of tool theft per resident – Direct Line business insurance , 2022 :

Ranking

Region

1 Northumbria

2 London

3 South West

4 Yorkshire & the Humber

5 East Midlands

6 North East

7 North West

8 East of England

9 South East

10 Northern Ireland

“ At a time when people are facing serious cost of living challenges , heartless criminals are taking away the livelihoods of hardworking tradespeople . It is not just the value of the tools stolen , theft can cause big delays on site , causing huge additional costs and causing serious scheduling headaches . We urge those considering purchasing second-hand tools to question the provenance to limit opportunities for criminals to dispose of stolen goods .”

www . directlineforbusiness . co . uk