A free online portal allowing anyone related to the construction industry to access information, advice and guidance has been made available from 24 May, thanks to the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity. Leaders hope that the hub – which is called the ‘Make It Visible’ portal and has a dedicated website – will help reduce suicide and improve welfare and wellbeing.
The portal features sections on emotional, physical and financial wellbeing. Within each of these sections are learning and self-help tools, as well as ways for people to assess whether or not to seek further help from professionals.
A map of ‘Lighthouse Beacons’ – drop-in self-help groups – is also included. And videos of construction workers talking about their experiences with issues such as stress, anger and anxiety can be accessed through the online portal too.
The website is curated and managed by the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity and forms part of the Make It Visible initiative. The initiative brings contractors, clients and professional bodies together to try to tackle the industry’s poor record on worker welfare and wellbeing with an emphasis on mental health.
“This portal is for everyone in our industry to use, especially those in the trades and agency workers who often have nowhere to turn for help in a crisis,” said Bill Hill, the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity’s CEO. “It’s been created by the industry, funded by the industry for all the workforce and their families working in our industry.”
The portal has been developed as a website rather than an app, to ensure that anyone with a smartphone or computer can have full access to it, regardless of which device or browser they use, the charity’s representatives have said.
An online launch event for the portal was led by representatives of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, London, on 24 May. More than 280 people from companies across the sector attended the launch.
