Dr Chris Doyle
Chris has been the Group Head of Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) for the Lendlease Group for over 15 years and is a passionate advocate for mental health support in the building and construction sector.
He has presented at a range of forums domestically and internationally to highlight the links between industry practices and mental health issues within the sector.
He has driven organisational change at Lendlease in the policy, practice and integration of the way the business addresses both financial capital and human capital in decision-making processes.
Chris was founder of the BuildSafe Dubai and BuildSafe UAE not-for-profit groups in the Middle East which provide advocacy for improving the working conditions and support networks for the migrant construction workers in the region.
“It is a great privilege to become an ambassador for Mentally Healthy Workplaces. For me, a mentally healthy workplace has a number of factors that contribute to positive mental health - it's the way that we communicate to people so they don't feel alone in the workplace, providing them support networks and places to go to that are readily available, eliminating bullying and harassment and having an inclusive culture in the workplace.”
Chris believes that creating a mentally healthy workplace can be as simple as making people feel valued and welcomed that they're coming to work to add value to a site.
Chris is an advocate for change in the building and construction sector, along with the creation of initiatives and making resources available to small businesses to help them create a mentally healthy workplace.
Mental health in the construction sector
Mental health challenges and opportunities in the building and construction sector
Related information
Find people that you can check in with and be open to ask, “How are you going?”
Rather than just saying “I’m okay,” give them a bit more detail.
Being active is a part of being mentally healthy. Exercise and getting steps up is an important part.
Learn that you can’t control every situation, but you can control how you deal with it.
Instead of trying to fix every problem, learn how to react.
Mental Health Inductions.
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training.
Prevention initiatives (e.g. UPRISE programme, Mindfulness training, Sleep programs).
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and provider engaged.
ASIST (Suicide Prevention) Training.
Wellbeing Days (3-day per year) for all staff.
EH&S Global Minimum Requirements (GMRs) dedicated section on Mental Health and Fatigue applicable across all operations.
- SafeWork NSW has tailored resources for the construction industry to help manage and promote mental health at work.
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