Suicides in the UK Construction Industry - Can we fix it?
Section 1 - About the person who died - 20 questions
Section 2 - Mental Health, Pressure, & Stress - 13 questions
Section 3 - Home & Relationships - 15 questions
Section 4 - Finance & Work Conditions - 5 questions
Section 5 - Substance Use - 10 questions
Section 6 - Final Days - 8 questions
Section 7 - Final Thoughts - 5 questions
Time Required - 20 minutes
To prevent the need for participants to Sign up / Log in etc. which would require your personal information, we have made the form in one continuous stream. As such, you need to complete the form and submit it in one go.
Time Required - 20 minutes
Your personal details are NOT required for this survey.
But the country you are in, IS required?
Section 1 - About the Person Who Died
20 questions
1. About YOU - Name or Initial (Optional)
If you would rather not provide your name, or any personal details, it's okay. Just leave the box blank, or you can just leave an initial, It's up to you.
2. About DECEASED - Name or Initial (Optional)
If you would rather not provide their name, or any personal details, it's okay. Just leave the box blank, or you can just leave an initial; again, it is up to you.
3. What was your relationship to the deceased?
4. Home Town, City, or County of deceased residence?
5. Sex / Gender
6. Age at time of death?
7. Year of death?
8. Month of death?
9. Day of death?
10. Time of death?
11. Type of location of death?
12. Did the date, day, time or location of death have any significance - perhaps related to another major incident in their life?
13. If yes, can you briefly explain.
14. Type of construction work?
15. If skilled - What trade?
16. If unskilled / Labourer - What was the last educational district / authority in which they went to school?
This is more important if they were young and in their first job on a construction site.
17. If unskilled / Labourer - Did they ever talk about living on state benefits instead of unskilled labour? If so, why did they choose work?
18. If unskilled / Labourer - Persons with no skills / certifications & NOT apprentices, can apply for many other jobs - which would certainly be easier than construction (particularly in winter months). So why did they choose construction?
19. What type of project were they working on at the time of their death; (or the last project they were on)?
20. If "other," what was it?
Section 2 - Mental Health, Pressure, & Stress
13 questions
1. Did they have any mental health diagnosis?
1a. If yes, do you know what they were diagnosed with?
2. Did they ever speak about stress, anxiety, or depression?
3. Did they ever seek help from a doctor or counsellor - or other professional?
4. Were they on any medications, either for stress, depression, or any other matter?
Sometimes anti-anxiety / anti-depressant medications can seem to make the condition worse, before improving it.
4a. If "Yes," do you know what medications they were taking?
5. Were there any past suicide attempts or self-harm?
5a. If yes, was this before, during or after their last project?
5b. If yes, was this before, during or after joining the construction industry?
6. Were they under pressure from deadlines or clients?
6a. Was there any event(s) they struggled to recover from (victim of crime / loss of important contract / illness)?
7. Did you notice any changes in mood, energy, or behaviour?
7a. If yes, what changes did you notice?
Section 3 - Home & Relationships
17 questions
1. Were they in a relationship at the time of their death?
2. What type of relationship suited them?
3. What was their ethnicity?
4. What was the ethnicity of their partner?
5. If separated or divorced; how long was this before their death?
6. Did they have children?
7. If they had young children, were their visitation / access issues / restrictions?
8. Did they experience any recent family loss (loved one, friend, pet etc.)?
8a. If yes, please provide brief details.
9. Was the deceased person close to their family, or isolated?
9a. If isolated, did this develop in the lead up to their death?
10. Did they have good work relationships?
10a. If no, are you able to provide brief details?
11. Were they involved in sports clubs / outdoor activities / hiking etc. / Further education etc.
12. If yes / sort of... please give brief details.
Section 4 - Finances & Work Conditions
5 questions
1. Were they paid on time?
2. Were they employed, or self-employed?
3. Did they often work away from home?
4. Were finances a known source of stress?
5. Did they borrow money from friends and or family members?
Section 5 - Substance Use
10 questions
1. Were they regular alcohol drinkers?
2. To your knowledge, did they use drugs?
3. If yes, do you know what type of drugs they used?
4. If yes, do you know how often they used drugs?
4a. If "other," please provide brief details?
5. If they used drugs, do you know why?
6. Did substance use ever affect their work or family relations?
7. If yes, were there warnings or interventions by their employer (if employed)?
8. Did you notice them either drink more, or consume more drugs (or both), in the lead up to their death?
9. Did they consume both alcohol and drugs together?
Section 6 - Final Days
8 questions
Please Note - Some questions in this section may be particularly distressful.
Please be reminded that you can skip any question that you do not wish to answer.
1. Was there anything unusual in the final week?
2. If yes, please provide some brief details.
3. Did they leave a note or message?
4. Do you believe the suicide was planned, or impulsive?
5. Do you know if they visited any websites / platforms associated with suicide / assisted suicide?
6. If yes; do you know which website / platform?
7. Can you share with us, how their lives ended?
8. Is there any part of you that feels the death may have been an accident, and not intended suicide?
Section 7 - Final Thoughts
5 questions
1. What do you believe might have contributed to the suicide?
2. Were there any warning signs you wish you had understood better?
3. What support systems do you feel were missing, or insufficient?
4. What message would you want the construction industry, or others, to hear?
5. Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Thank you for your help. Would you mind being contacted for a follow-up, if necessary?
If you don't mind, then please leave an email and or phone number.
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Thank you for completing this survey. It probably wasn't easy for you.
Would you like to contribute further to this report?
When we produce the final report, which will be made public, as well as delivered to the relevant government agencies and major construction companies, we would like to humanise it as much as possible by including some short stories of those construction workers who were lost to suicide, perhaps accompanied by an image. If you would like to contribute to that, then please forward details to us at the below address:
dsrm-uk@dsrmrisk.com
Thank You
Anthony Hegarty MSc
DSRM Risk & Crisis Management
