Our induction for new site staff: mental health and health and safety training.

A E Yates take mental health seriously as every day, the construction industry looses two workers in the UK and Ireland. Therefore, when new starters join A E Yates we want to educate them on what mental health is and how to spot different mental health struggles in others; we train new starters on how to respond when a member of staff opens up about mental health struggles. On our sites and in our offices we defer from using negative words that could trigger low self esteem and we are trying to end negative stigma so our employees feel safe to open up about any struggles. At A E Yates we have 17 mental health first aiders within that provide anonymous confidential support; during introductory training we ensure new starters get familiar with who our mental health first aiders are and how to reach out to them.

The training provides new starters with the concept of manual handling, the risks involved and the control measures available. We spread awareness of substances hazardous to health by showing symbols to look out for on packaging, and warning them of diseases/skin conditions (such as dermatitis) that they cause. We also show examples of what to do or what not to do on site as A E Yates have a responsibility to ensure new starters leave our training feeling informed and confident with health and safety procedures, for their own safety and the safety of other employees on site. Did you know? 64,000 construction workers suffer non-fatal injuries every year. At A E Yates we care about our employees health and we believe that educating is the first step in reducing injuries and death on sites.