We caught up with Joe Baker who has battled addiction and attempted suicide and who committed to running 5k every day in May to raise awareness of the chronic mental health crisis in the construction industry 

Joe Baker who founded Midlands construction firm Second City Screed is shining a light on the 7,000 construction workers who have taken their own life in the last decade and hopes to prompt change. His aim is to reduce the stigma around mental health in construction, increase awareness and boost education and support for workers. More training about coping mechanisms and how to spot someone who might be struggling is key.

Joe is very open about his own battle with addiction as well as isolation during Covid and ultimately his attempt to end his life. He says: “I attempted suicide. I was deep into addiction. Really, really struggling. It was talking to people that saved me. That and becoming sober. I haven’t trained for this, but that’s the point – it’s meant to be hard because this is a hard issue.” It’s a personal mission for Joe, one rooted in pain and optimism that things can change.

LOST CITY

Joe’s supporting the Lost City, a powerful campaign exposing the human cost of mental health neglect in trades. By visualising exactly what they could have built, the Lost City shows the true scale of construction suicides – the city that could exist if the construction suicide crisis didn’t.

The campaign says that the 7,000 lives lost in a decade is equivalent to 150,000 homes, 80 schools and three hospitals that will never be built. The construction industry has a suicide rate four times the national average. Ninety-six per cent of tradespeople have worked in isolation, 65 per cent face severe financial pressure and 64 per cent turn to drugs or alcohol to cope. Yet support across the industry is woeful.

In 2024, the sector lost £2.4billion due to mental health related absence. Joe says: “The roads, the railways, the homes we live in — they’re all built by people like us. But we’re undervalued. Underappreciated. And when we break, no one notices until it’s too late.” Joe’s message is enough is enough. He’s raising money for Band of Builders and Construction Sport – two charities at the forefront of mental health support and suicide prevention in the trades.

LONELY BATTLE

The industry faces challenges including an ageing workforce and a shortage of skilled labour exacerbated by Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic that hit the availability of workers hard. While the industry grapples with these issues, it also needs to address the drivers that result in poor mental health. Increased job security and improved working conditions would boost overall well-being and productivity.

Talking openly about the issues is a start and Joe hopes that by completing his challenge and sticking his head above the parapet to tell his story will help to effect change. He says: “Each run is a symbol of the mental load so many in the industry carry silently. Fatigue. Financial stress. Loneliness. Grief. These runs are for them — for the ones still battling, and the ones already lost.”