Ben Pieyre has seen the language and actions around mental health transform during his two decades working in construction.
Not usually considered a “touchy-feely” industry, it took some time for mental health to become a priority in the male-dominated workplace.
While much has improved, people still fall through the cracks.
In 2024, an employee at Boom Logistics took his life, shaking the company to the core.
A second-generation employee, the bright young man had a good, secure job, a great circle of friends and was to be married within months, says Mr Pieyre, Boom’s CEO.
No one had any idea anything was awry – until it was too late.
“He was one of us,” Mr Pieyre tells AAP.
“These are small communities. Everybody knows each other, everybody’s related. It affects everyone, not only their family.
“When you look at it from the outside … nothing makes sense. And I think that’s the biggest trouble with mental health – it doesn’t make sense when you look at it from outside.”
Suicide remains the leading cause of death among Australian men aged 15 to 44 but the risk doubles in the construction industry.
Every second day, a tradie takes their life.
“It is a bit of a taboo for men to speak about and it’s probably not something men in this environment are quite comfortable or even open to even think about talking about,” Mr Pieyre says.
He has witnessed colleagues struggle with mental health issues but says “that’s something that we didn’t talk about 20 years ago”.
“But 15 years ago, we started to acknowledge it. Ten years ago, we started saying, ‘well, there’s a problem, we should do something’. Five years ago, we can see an improvement … however, it is still here,” he says.
“Men are stubborn and believe in some type of pride that we don’t talk about our feelings. There has been an improvement, but there’s obviously still a lot to do.”
Boom has partnered with Lifeline to help employees and managers tackle this crucial issue.
“There’s no X-ray for mental health problems, so the only thing we have is: we need to talk,” Mr Pieyre says.
“It’s not only the person that is being affected by mental health directly – it’s the person next to them. It’s giving the tools to people to recognise that change of behaviour or say ‘hey, mate, what’s going on – are you OK?'”
Lifeline Australia has launched a Strong Foundations toolkit for Tradies National Health Month, offering practical resources to build resilience and stay connected.
Lifeline chair Steve Moylan hopes making mental health support more accessible and relatable for all tradies will make a difference.
“In the construction trade, admitting you’re running on empty can feel like failure,” he tells AAP.
“But feeling stressed or burnt out are simply signs you’ve been carrying too much for too long.
“Treating these feelings as normal responses to tough conditions removes shame and makes it easier to ask for help.”
Recognising there might be a problem is the first step.
“Everyone faces tough days, and that’s normal, but when you’re running 12-hour shifts or are pulled off-site for weeks at a time, your body stays on high alert – your ‘go mode’ never switches off,” Professor Moylan says.
“That constant pressure wears you down, and without breaks with family or mates to reset, it can leave you feeling cut off. Recognising these common pressures is the first step to steadying yourself.”
Boom is using Lifeline messaging across company communications – from uniforms to equipment – to remind workers there is a voice on the end of the phone if they need to talk.
Mental wellness is just as important as wearing hard hats and steel toe boots on site, Prof Moylan says.
“When you look at safety, you can talk about safety or you can live and breathe safety. And this is the same approach that we’re taking here.”
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
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