RL Cares builds constructive links with Offload and the Kier Group

Rugby League Cares is building on the proven success of its Offload mental fitness programme by delivering an important new project designed to enhance, and save, the lives of staff working within the construction industry.

Offload empowers, educates, upskills, and motivates adults to look after their mental fitness, just as they do their physical fitness.

Since its launch in 2017, Offload has made a positive difference to the mental wellbeing of almost 40,000 people and been hailed as an example of best practice for community mental health programmes.

Offload ‘fixtures’ are delivered by former and current professional rugby league players with lived experience of low-level mental health conditions. This makes the programme’s content more relatable to men.

We have delivered Offload to numerous corporate companies as well as blue light services such as the NHS and West Yorkshire Fire Service.

And last week our welfare officer Bob Beswick visited the Kier Group at a Strategic Project site to discuss the upcoming delivery of our Offload programme on-site.

Construction workers are nearly four times more likely to take their own lives than those working in other industries.

A published analysis of ONS data in September 2021 showed that for every 100,000 construction workers, 30 died by suicide. This is significantly higher than any other industry, and almost double the national male suicide rate of 15.4 deaths per 100,000.

One third of all workers who are self-employed or work for a small firm live with elevated anxiety levels. Unskilled and low-paid workers have a suicide rate of 73 suicides per 100,000; the rate for non-manual colleagues is less than five per 100,000.

To help tackle these alarming statistics, RL Cares, supported by Movember’s Scaling What Works programme, have created a bespoke Offload programme for the construction industry.

Offload assists people to address key mental fitness challenges, including managing emotions and thinking patterns, building resilience, and developing positive coping strategies.

The programme helps builds social connections and positive relationships between team-mates and colleagues and equips them with the skills and tools to be there for each other, as well as spot signs or symptoms that others may need some support.

We will be delivering Offload fixtures to Kier Construction staff and their supply chain partners this September.

If you work within the construction industry and would like more details about our Offload programme, please click here or email our Partnerships Manager Nav Uppal