BSI publishes free suicide intervention pack for construction sites

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published a free resource pack to help people working in construction start conversations about suicide, respond when a colleague is at risk and support them afterwards.

BSI's page carries the pack under the title Looking Out for Each Other: Suicide Intervention in Construction. Mates in Mind lists the same resource as Looking out for each other: Practical guidance on suicide for people in construction.

BSI said the material was designed to be used on site, on a phone, during a quick briefing or shared with colleagues. It contains advice for everyone on site, with separate advice for site managers and owners.

The pack sits alongside BSI's wider resources for BS 30480, its standard on suicide and the workplace. Anne Hayes, Director of Sectors and Standards Development at BSI, said at the standard's launch: "This standard provides a much-needed framework to empower employers and leaders to take meaningful action".

What is in the pack

According to BSI, the pack has three parts: a guide on starting a conversation about suicide, responding and supporting afterwards; an on-site action sheet with simple prompts for opening a conversation and knowing what to do next; and a toolbox talk for introducing the guidance to a team.

BSI said the content is based on best practice and translated into accessible, sector-specific resources for small businesses. Its strapline is "Know what to say. Know what to do. Know where to turn."

BSI said the resources were developed with construction organisations and industry experts, without naming them. Mates in Mind, which lists the resource as designed for SMEs and sole traders, names the partners as BSI, B1M, CIOB, CITB, the Supply Chain Sustainability School, Mace and the City of London Corporation.

The standard behind it

BSI said BS 30480 was developed through a two-year collaboration between government, specialist charities, advocacy groups and industry experts. In March 2026 BSI said the standard had been downloaded 10,500 times in under six months.

BSI's explainer on the standard says its scope is deliberately wide, covering construction firms as well as financial services, freelancers and contractors. The same explainer says 7,055 people died by suicide across the UK in 2023, an average of 19 a day.

Jason Jaspal, Assistant Director of Business Development at Samaritans, said when the standard launched: "Suicide is preventable and workplaces play an important role in this."

Why construction

Office for National Statistics (ONS) analysis of male suicides in England between 2011 and 2015 found low-skilled construction workers had a risk 3.7 times the national average for men. A 2017 government release on the same data gave the figure for low-skilled construction labourers as three times the England average for men.

The ONS analysis of male suicides also found elevated risk among roofers, tilers and slaters, building finishing trades such as plasterers, painters and decorators, and construction and building trades overall.

Occupation group (ONS, male suicides, England, 2011 to 2015)	Suicide risk v national average for men
Low-skilled construction workers	3.7 times
Roofers, tilers and slaters	2.7 times
Building finishing trades	2 times
Construction and building trades	1.6 times

Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive of Public Health England, said in the 2017 release that suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50.

ONS has also published counts of suicides among construction workers in England and Wales for 2011 to 2024. ONS warned that those counts cannot be used to ascertain the risk of suicide among occupations.

The construction pack is available to download free from BSI's website alongside its BS 30480 brochure, a practical first steps guide and an introductory webinar on the standard.