Construction workers face elevated mental health challenges compared to workers in other industries, linked to transient employment, job insecurity and workplace cultures that have historically made it difficult to seek support. The November 2025 Phase 1 report from the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland on the CAIRDE initiative, commissioned by the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention, gives the Irish construction industry its first evidence-informed framework for addressing psychological wellbeing and suicide prevention at work.

CAIRDE, the Construction Alliance to Reduce Suicide, is a significant step forward for the Irish construction industry. It brings together training tools, research evidence and a multi-stakeholder governance model that gives employers a practical entry point into mental health support. Three features make it stand out: its co-designed training programme, its gatekeeper model for supporting workers in distress, and its grounding in research specific to Irish conditions.

The Phase 1 report draws on a systematic review of global evidence, qualitative research with Irish construction workers and employers, and a co-design process that embedded worker experience in the General Awareness Training. Research identified stigma, low mental health literacy and workplace culture as the primary barriers to help-seeking. The corresponding enablers are clear: trust between workers and supervisors, visible leadership modelling of supportive behaviour, and the normalisation of conversations about mental health on site.

The General Awareness Training is grounded in the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Medical Research Council framework for intervention design. It aims to improve mental health literacy, reduce stigma and increase willingness to seek or offer help. A peer-reviewed study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in August 2025 confirmed the training was developed with validated outcome measures, making it among the most rigorously designed occupational mental health interventions produced in Ireland.

CAIRDE sits within a strengthening policy environment. Ireland’s Connecting for Life 2026 to 2035, published in May 2026, identifies the workplace as a key intervention setting and supports embedding mental health resources at sector level. The Stakeholder Group includes the Construction Industry Federation, CSPAC, SIPTU and the HSE. The HSA hosts CAIRDE on its construction safety pages, reflecting institutional endorsement.

Three practical steps allow construction organisations to build on CAIRDE’s momentum. First, designate trained Connectors on each site, individuals equipped to recognise distress and signpost colleagues to support, as part of standard site management. Second, integrate the General Awareness Training into induction and annual training so that mental health literacy sits alongside physical hazard awareness. Third, ensure site managers and project directors visibly model help-seeking behaviour, establishing leadership commitment as central to the programme’s effectiveness.

The CAIRDE Phase 1 report gives Irish construction leaders the evidence and tools to address workforce wellbeing in a structured and sustainable way. The training is ready, the gatekeeper model is developed, and the policy framework is in place. Construction organisations that embed CAIRDE across their operations are making a meaningful investment in the people who carry out some of the most demanding and skilled work in the Irish economy.

(The views expressed by the writer are his/her own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of BusinessRiver.)