The only construction mental health programme designed by safety and clinical experts
Embedding psychological safety and peer support into construction site culture
The Culture Shift project embeds a peer-led mental health support system within construction sites, integrating a psychological risk assessment process. This initiative is designed for sustainability, practicality, and cultural fit, helping construction firms proactively manage mental health risks on site.
Why we're different
20
years construction
health & safety expertise
+
50+
years combined
mental health nursing
= a culture change programme that works and lasts
For every £1 you invest, see up to £5 back in productivity and retention
The cost of doing nothing
Mental health absence costs UK construction £1.2 billion annually.
High turnover disrupts project timelines and safety.
50% of construction workers have operated machinery or worked at height while mentally unfit, increasing accident risk.
In 2024, 5.1 million working days were lost in construction to poor mental health
Suicide rates in construction are 3.7 times higher than the national average
Generic solutions don't work for construction's unique challenges
Creating a psychologically safe site
1
Programme content
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Identify and address key psychological risks on site
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Bespoke learning journey for early informal mental health support
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Build psychological safety into daily operations
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Equip management with practical tools to support site culture
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Evaluate effectiveness and develop a scalable model for other sites
2
Four key phases
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Site readiness & psychological risk scan
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Sustainable learning packages
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Management support & workplace integration
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Evaluation & scale
Designed to align with
ISO 45003
3
Project deliverables
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Psychological risk report from Phase 1
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Sustainable learning and toolkit
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Team briefing and guidance materials
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Evaluation summary report
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Scalable model for wider industry implementation
4
Project timeline (Indicative)
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Week 1–2:
Site readiness and psychological risk assessment -
Week 3–4: Interactive learning journey
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Week 5: Team briefings
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Weeks 6–10: Active support
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Week 11–12: Evaluation and next steps
HOW CULTURE SHIFT STANDS APART
HOW DOES CULTURE SHIFT FIT WITH EXISTING MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AIDERS OR CHAMPIONS?
Unlike other mental health initiatives in construction, Culture Shift is the only service that takes a truly holistic approach to psychological safety, starting well before issues arise.
We don’t just respond to crises; we prevent them by embedding mental health awareness, sustainable support, and practical risk management into the daily site culture.
Prevention first
We identify and address psychological risks early through comprehensive site assessments, ensuring mental health risks are managed before they escalate.
Workforce empowerment
We train trusted site workers as peer support champions, creating a resilient internal network that promotes ongoing wellbeing and support.
Sustainable impact
Unlike one-off training or external helplines, our peer-led system is designed to become self-sustaining. Once established, the support network operates independently, embedding psychological safety as a core part of everyday site life.
This proactive, embedded approach means our clients don’t just gain short-term fixes. They build lasting mental health capacity on site, improving morale, safety, and productivity long after we’ve completed the project.
Culture Shift is designed to complement and enhance existing mental health initiatives rather than replace them. While Mental Health First Aid training provides essential skills for recognising and responding to mental health crises, our project goes further by:
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Embedding psychological safety holistically: We integrate proactive psychological risk assessments into everyday site operations, identifying issues before they escalate.
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Building a sustainable support network: Our approach trains champions not only in support skills but also in maintaining ongoing engagement through regular check-ins and tailored resources, creating a living, evolving support system.
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Equipping supervisors to reinforce culture: We provide targeted training and guidance for supervisors to actively promote psychological safety and support, ensuring leadership is fully engaged.
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Focusing on prevention and culture change: Instead of one-off or reactive interventions, Culture Shift fosters a site culture where mental health awareness and support are built into daily routines.
In short, Culture Shift enhances your existing workforce capability by embedding mental health support deeply into the site’s culture, making it more practical, sustainable, and aligned with operational safety