Supporting Construction Worker Wellbeing, In Our Own Workforce and Industry Wide
The construction industry in the UK faces significant wellbeing challenges: suicide rates remain over three times the national average, and many workers experience long periods away from home, financial pressure, job insecurity, and a culture where mental health is often whispered about rather than openly discussed.
National Grid has always placed strong emphasis on health, safety, and wellbeing. But with worsening industry statistics and an expanding programme of construction activity in our own operations, we recognised the need to contribute to the and sector wide collaboration required to deliver better wellbeing support.
Despite the availability of support, many of the most vulnerable workers still struggle to access help, particularly those on dispersed or transient construction sites. Traditional wellbeing interventions do not always reach the people who need them most. National Grid identified the need to deliver specialist, construction focused wellbeing support, strengthen pathways to crisis services, and help shift cultural attitudes across the sector. The goal was clear: make support more visible, more accessible, and more embedded across our construction ecosystem.
To meet this need, National Grid became a Corporate Supporter of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity, the only charity solely dedicated to the emotional, physical, and financial wellbeing of the construction workforce and their families.
Through this partnership, National Grid has:
Hosted Lighthouse as guest speakers at our Men at Work Conference, raising visibility, opening conversations, and challenging stigma in a male-dominated environment.
Welcomed the Lighthouse “Make It Visible” team to our Seaham Grange Farm site on 11 March, providing on-the-ground conversations, wellbeing signposting, and informal support for frontline workers.
Encouraged our supply chain to book their own Make It Visible site tours, extending Lighthouse’s reach across the wider construction ecosystem.
This partnership ensures that wellbeing support becomes more culturally normalised and easier to access, particularly for workers in high risk and high-pressure environments.
The Lighthouse Charity provides vital, confidential support including a 24/7 helpline, text services, financial guidance, mental health training, and onsite engagement, all of which we signpost across National Grid sites and construction partnerships. Through our collaboration, we have reached hundreds of workers through site visits, events, and awareness activities, increasing the visibility of suicide prevention resources and encouraging employees to seek support earlier. The partnership has strengthened wellbeing conversations across construction sites by integrating Lighthouse content into toolbox talks, briefings, and wellbeing sessions, helping to reduce stigma and connect individuals to lifesaving support at critical moments.
As we continue to build the energy infrastructure of the future, National Grid is committed to expanding and embedding this partnership. We hope to expand our Make It Visible visits, deepen Lighthouse's presence at key wellbeing events, embed resources into partner onboarding, and strengthen collaboration and partnerships.
Images from Lighthouse's visit to our Seaham Grange Farm site:
