I'm Fred Mills and I'm showing my love for
construction through the platform I built, The B1M.
There is nothing else on earth that compares to this amazing industry. It quite literally shapes
our world. And if you need any proof of that, look no further than New York City. Manhattan
Island behind me used to be a small, swampy strip of land. But that didn't stop contractors,
architects and engineers through their skills, ability and sheer ambitions from turning it into
one of the tallest and most densely built places on earth and the financial capital of America.
But as amazing as this industry is, there's a part of it that desperately needs to change.
You see, construction isn't very good at talking about itself. Now,
looking at all this, you could say it doesn't need to be,
but there's so much more to these buildings than what you see from the outside.
The people working in this industry are shaping our lives. They're making decisions about our
homes, our hospitals, our schools, the transport infrastructure we rely on every day. Our world
simply wouldn't work without this industry. But most of us don't see that or take it for granted.
The other thing we don't really see is that construction has some of the worst
mental health rates of any industry. There are a number of reasons for that,
which we're going to come on to, but here in the US, a construction worker is
five times more likely to die by suicide than from all the other causes combined.
Tackling this silent pandemic isn't easy, but one of the most basic things we need to be doing
is just talking to each other more. We need to break down the stigma and the culture that
the industry has of putting a brave face on everything and staying strong the whole time.
I want to use the power of what we've built with the board to raise awareness
of this issue and get construction talking. And over the course of these
videos and the wider campaign we're running I hope to do exactly that.
If you're suffering with your mental health, then you probably feel like the world is falling in,
probably feels really lonely and you probably feel like you're out of options of what to do next. But
don't worry, it does get better and there is support out there.
I know that because I've been there myself.
So we've now come a very long way from the glamour of Manhattan. We're in a place called
Beckenham in South London. This hospital here is the first building I ever worked on. I worked
on this during my year out from uni. I know it's not an architectural marvel, I see that
but this place is pretty special to me.
It's so nice seing it open. So I was based here for a year all together, I remember being thrown
in the deep end, thinking a lot... It was a lot, the deep end was a lot deeper than I thought it
was going to be. I was doing a year out from uni, but I had huge responsibility or what felt
lilke a huge responsibility at the time. I was looking after a very exciting dry lining package.
That front cantelever out there. I was so proud of that. I spent so much time on that.
This building, this construction site was a huge part of my journey of falling in love with this
industry. And it may not be a mega-project, it might be a skyscraper or amazing dam or
anything like that, but it's buildings like this that most of the industry works on.
I remember thinking how misunderstood the industry was, and that's why I started The B1M, I started
putting videos online in my spare time to try and get the world to see the industry the way I saw
it. Back then I didn't really think about mental health or realise how much it could affect me.
I guess that's all changed pretty dramatically as I got older. I used to think I was
just having bad days, but I now realise that I'm kind of predisposed to
depression. Just saying that is pretty difficult. For me, like a few factors brought it on. The job
I do, there's an always on pressure to it. There's a constant desire for perfectionism. And... we've
had an amazing journey with The B1M you know, there've been some amazing things happen,
but it's always, almost sets a bar for what you do next and that puts a natural pressure on yourself
cause everything's so visible and so out there. That adds pressure. When you're running a business
with it, I've got people's salaries, livelihoods, bills to look out for, I'm raising a family, so
there's natural pressure theret hat means taking a step back or taking a break is quite difficult.
So you can feel quite hemmed in by life in that regard. The
other thing I've been dealing with, like many people around the world, is back pain, which
really robbed of me, of my ability to do as much of my health and fitness as I wanted to.
And for me, the health fitness exercise was a huge part, I now realise of managing stress,
managing my mental health, managing keeping a lid on my depression to a point.
I remember saying that the stats about suicides. And I remember thinking you know,
it was guys in their thirties. It was the main demographic. And I'm thinking how shocking that
was, how terrible that was. But thinking it was a it was a different thing, you know,
it was it wouldn't affect me because I'm a normal person. It was people who were in a bad way.
And then I got to that place mid-thirties where
I could see the path to it, and I was kind of staring down the barrel of it at times.
And that was hard. I realise that. And how it can affect anybody. And,
it's something I've never talked about but I... I it was only really my family
specifically the thought of my kids that stopped me doing something stupid.
I remember that it's such a lonely experience. I remember travelling
home after another ridiculously long day's work. I'm feeling so
kind of lonely and isolated. I just wanted to get home and hug my wife that she could protect me.
It's not easy for me to talk about it. I remember not wanting to talk about it.
Since that moment, those few dark moments I had that scared the life out of me,
I've really tried to deal with it. And talking to friends and family,
seeking counselling has been it's been a big, big help.
I used to worry about it. I used to think that it was a sign of weakness. But now I realise it's
something I've been through and I've dealt with and it's made me so much stronger and more
formidable for it. And there are so many people out there where just don't see the full picture.
People saying that we shouldn't talk about the suicide issue and construction because it might
put people off joining the industry. I disagree with that. We need to get out in the open.
We need to deal with it. I mean, to show the world that we are a compassionate welcoming.
Caring industry that values both physical and mental health,
and if we do, that will attract the best talent, we'll improve what we do.
And we can go on shaping the world even better than we have before.
I've come to London's Canary Wharf to meet Logan Price. He's part of
the next generation of construction talents that's shaping our world.
So this is the site? This is the one.
So what are you responsible for? This building?
This one on the left hand side.
Logan's struggled with his mental health, but by confronting his problems and seeking help,
he's emerging stronger than ever.
Whenever I go round anywhere, it seems my dad'll go "see that, I built that".
What's the best thing about your job?
Seeing the project progress. When I first came to the site here,
there was nothing. It was just piles. And then we came, we cropped them,
we've done the basement. And to see it up at level 10 and it will be level 50 will be amazing.
Also, I know you've been on a bit of a mental health journey.
When did you realise you had to do something about your mental health?
So I'd been in the industry for about two years before I noticed that I was kind of suffering. I
ended up speaking to my parents and then to a GP and prescribed anti-depressants,
which helped to an extent but didn't get rid of the problem.
What were the kind of triggers for you? What kind of brought on do you think?
I think the overall balance of my life was was probably wrong. I was doing
far too much travelling. I was averaging about 1000 miles of driving a week, which
is obscene. Even when I look at it now.
Actually, that kind of travel is pretty normal in this industry.
Yeah, there's lots of people. It's kind of a running joke and a game on site of who's hear
the earliest, who leaves the latest. My dad's always done that sort of mileage and that was
brought up with me, I thought that was normal. And not enough people higher up in construction in the
construction industry, I'd say, like directors are aware of the challenges because they're of a
certain age. They've kind of just. Potentially powered through and that kind of mindset.
The environment that we work in, that many people in the industry work in
is high pressure, long hours, high stakes. There's a stigma about not talking about your feelings.
It's quite macho, it's quite male dominated, it's almost entirely male dominated still.
It's almost like the perfect ingredients list for bad mental health. It's almost
no surprise in a way the industry has the mental health statistics and it has, sadly.
But I don't think that makes the construction industry a bad industry either. It's just
elements within it that need changing and need more awareness raised to towards.
What was it like talking to someone about it for the first time?
I think that's the hardest bit when you first open up and speak to somebody,
especially when you're feeling like that in the moment.
For someone that's feeling that way right now, that feels like they don't even think
about it because they'd be seen as weaker because of it. What would you say to them?
I think talking about your mental health when you're in the midst of struggling is one of the
strongest things you can do. And it's something that takes immense courage to do in that moment.
So you've climbed Mont Blanc?
Yeah. So when I was when I had a period of off of work, I set myself a challenge, for my physical
well-being. So I wanted to climb Mont Blanc. And alongside that, I thought, it's a good opportunity
to be able to raise some money for charity. I raised, in total, £27,000 for the combined.
That's incredible.
Thank you.
Well done.
Thank you very much.
Speaking to Logan is always an inspiring experience, and it shows what can be achieved when
the industry starts talking about mental health. I'm going to try to explain my way of thinking
about mental health using a building analogy and some good old Lego. Now I can hear the medical
professionals and the psychologists gasping from here. And don't worry, I understand that you can't
boil all this stuff down to some simple plastic bricks. But sometimes keeping things simple is
actually pretty helpful. First off, I want you to imagine that your mind is a building. Obviously,
something cool, like a skyscraper. You are that structure and the spaces within its and
its importance because it's your life. People love you. They need you. They depend on you.
You can't really function properly if it's not working right. Now, that structure needs to be
maintained. There's going to be stuff thrown into it. Unexpected forces are going to creep
in. And no structure is invincible. It cannot just go on forever. That means continuously
investing to keep it running. Now, some people are really good at this and go through their
whole lives subconsciously doing it without ever really noticing that anything's wrong.
But for most of us, when something does go wrong, the first port of call is usually some DIY taking
steps ourselves to try and right things. But sometimes you can't solve things on your own
and need some help, either from a friends or even a professional. I've arranged a call with
Chris from Mates in Construction, a charity working across Australia and New Zealand.
They've got over a decade of experience in how to take that first step and talk to someone.
The reality is that Australia is not different to a lot of the world where
construction really does... The pressures that flow through in the construction
industry really do have an impact on the people. One of the ways they show through
is that we've got significantly higher rates of suicide than the construction industry. So
it's a real problem and something we've got to do something about.
What affect do you think that has on the industry. And there's this really serious
issue that seems to be, there isn't very much awareness about it. But what kind of
impact is that having, do you think, on the on the sector and the people in it?
I think I think this is something that's often missed. The fact that the
people that the people that actually work in the industry,
they nearly everyone knows someone in the industry that has died by suicide.
And in terms of things that we can we as individuals can start doing today for free,
without training. It's as simple as looking for the signs and asking your mates if they're ok.
And in doing that, the best thing that you can then do thereafter is actually be there for
them. Be real, be authentic, Listen, don't be judgemental, but realise that they are telling
your story for a reason. If you actually do ask that question and then inviting, inviting them to
see if you can actually connect them to whatever help they need. And not everyone would need to see
a psychologist or a counselling service. It might be as simple as they need to actually get their
finances sorted, a financial counselling or the relationship piece. Or it might even be needing to
speak to your religious leader in their community if that's actually what's going to work for them.
Understanding that everyone's different, so being present with them, where they are keeping them
safe and connecting them to the help that they might actually need is none of us end up having
to be the end result, the end counsellor. But we can all step forward and make a difference.
Asking for help. If you work in construction can be tough because
of that culture that I spoke about, but it really matters. We need to feel able
to talk to people if we're struggling and not feel embarrassed or ashamed by it.
We also need to be more alive to the signs that people can display when something's not
right and not be afraid to ask them if they're doing okay. We need to get construction talking.
Talking is something we can all start doing today for free. There
are no barriers to entry here and it could really make a big difference.
Remember that we all need to maintain those buildings that we are. And sometimes if
that DIY doesn't work, then it makes a lot of sense to ask for help. We're raising awareness
of this issue through Get Construction Talking initiative supported by Procore.
You can get more information and links to support through our portal, podcast and
events. We're also raising money for established construction mental health charities and would
love a donation of any kind. Please please share this video with your friends and colleagues.
And don't forget to watch part two.