That’s the message from non-profit mental health service which continues to lobby state and federal governments and construction industry stakeholders for embedded programs to raise awareness about the impact of ignoring mental health issues. 

Established in 2013, Hope Assistance Local Tradies (HALT) has been working on the ground to help prevent the toll of mental health on the lives of individuals and the wider industry.

Co-founder Jeremy Forbes says the vision of the team is to improve awareness and education opportunities so tradies across Australia are more aware of their mental health and how to look after themselves.

“We want to be able to save lives – we want to be able to give tradies skills that will save their lives,” Mr Forbes says.  

Master Builders Victoria has partnered with HALT for a series of awareness videos to mark RUOK? Day in September.  

MBV members will be able to access exclusive online learning modules which focus on topics including suicide prevention, gambling and drugs and alcohol.

Mr Forbes says awareness across the industry has never been more important.

“I think we choose sometimes to ignore mental health issues in the hope they go away,” Mr Forbes says. “But it doesn’t.”

He says embedding mental health training within the sector, particularly for apprentices, could help prevent the burden on individuals and employers.

“There is a massive financial impact from mental health that we are just starting to understand,” he says.

“When people are struggling on the work site – they are angry or tired or not even showing up.

“These are the signs that there could be deeper mental health issues which need to be addressed.

“By embedding some capacity to train employers and their employees, we will be creating more awareness, more empathy, compassion and understanding.

“It needs to be a top-down and bottom-up approach,” he says.  “Everybody can be a part of the education and training.

“We are telling the men and women out there that we know what it’s like – we have lived experience – and here are the steps forward.

“We want to be able to give tradies skills that will save their lives.”

He says the implementation of a mental health course offered online at least quarterly could be one way of complimenting the work HALT is doing on the ground.  

“We are telling the men and women out there that we know what it’s like – we have lived experience – and here are the steps forward.

“We know the major issues facing the building and construction sector and there is a multitude of things that somebody could be struggling with, so to be able to focus on those issues – it would be life-saving.”

More information about mental health support can be found on the Master Builders Victoria website, here. 

Find out more about HALT at halt.org.au