Building pressure as QLD construction boom hits mental health hard

Queensland's 230'000 construction workers are struggling to keep pace with the state's building boom' and a CQUniversity suicide prevention researcher fears it's taking a big mental health toll.

CQUniversity PhD candidate and Brisbane estimating manager Michael Bowles says the growing stress increases mental illness and suicide risk in an already high-pressure industry.

"A construction worker dies by suicide every two days in Australia' and long hours and stress absolutely contribute to that'" he explained.

Mr Bowles has been researching the impacts of suicide in the construction industry since last year' following his own experience of mental illness exacerbated by job stress.

His PhD work coincides with a huge upswing in construction activity for the Sunshine State' driven by pandemic recovery spending' spiking interstate migration to Queensland' low interest rates and savings windfalls as consumption dropped during lockdowns.

The state's construction boom includes $42 billion of industry and business projects underway at March 2021 (Deloitte)' while builders expect to construct a near-record 30'000 new homes across the state in 2021.

Master Builders Queensland estimates more than 230'000 Queenslanders are employed in the booming building sector' and Mr Bowles says much of the workforce has ricocheted from lockdown stress to unsustainable working habits across the past 18 months.

"Even worse' there's no end in sight – the industry can't get the extra workers it needs' so a worker putting in 80 or 90 hours a week is common'" he said.

Mr Bowles hopes his ground-breaking research will capture the business impacts of suicide in the construction industry' to clearly highlight the benefits of prioritising mental health in the workforce.

"So often you hear' 'it's construction' it's expected' unfortunately – and I don't know yet how to change that' but I'm hoping through my research I'll be able to say' here's what the stress is doing' and here's how it's causing a negative impact on your business'" he said.

He's also advocating interventions like R U OK Day' and has shared his story as part of an R U OK? Tradies initiative to encourage other construction workers to speak up.

R U OK? Tradies - Michael Bowles (full length) from R U OK? on Vimeo.

"I've been in construction for 14 years' and had heaps of mental health problems' but it took me three or four years before I could reach out and talk about it'" he said.

"For people witnessing their colleagues or loved ones doing it tough' reach out and ask' are you okay? The conversation is extremely valuable because at the end of the day you can be saving somebody's life."

Construction workers aged 18 or older can contact Mr Bowles to participate in the research' email michael.bowles@cqumail.com.