The Samaritans has confirmed it will be officially supporting the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors (APHC) Quality Plumber Week, which this year runs between 7 and 13 October.
Last month the APHC announced Quality Plumber Week will aim to raise awareness of what poor mental health is and what can be done to improve and help safeguard the mental health and wellbeing of plumbing and heating contractors.
Paul McDonald, executive director of external affairs at Samaritans, said: “We are pleased that the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors is raising awareness of Samaritans service and supporting our Real People, Real Stories campaign during Quality Plumber Week. Plumbing and heating contractors often work on their own and don’t always have the same level of interaction that other people might have in the workplace, so it’s important to raise awareness of the support available and encourage people to seek help.”
During Quality Plumber Week, APHC will be using social media to raise awareness of what the signs of poor mental health are and to sign-post plumbers to where they can obtain advice and information, using the hashtag #QPW19 on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Speaking about this year’s theme, APHC CEO John Thompson said: “The mental health of plumbing and heating contractors is an important matter as one in six UK workers struggle with mental health problems which equates to around 350,000 construction workers, and suicide is the leading cause of death among males aged 15 to 49.
“With the plumbing and heating industry having a predominantly male population, poor mental wellbeing can have a significant impact within our trade. What’s more, the plumbing and heating industry is predominately made up of sole traders for whom the challenges around mental wellbeing can be more significant as they face a wealth of pressure throughout the working day, which for many, continues into the evening as this is the only time they have to deal with the administration aspect of running a company.”
Altecnic, Bristan, Heatrae Sadia and Ideal Standard have also confirmed their involvement and will be running their own initiatives during the week.