A grant of $50,000 from AIA NZ is helping to fund Tools Down – a website aimed at reducing self-harm among tradies.
Managed by Ryan Edwards of The Adviser Platform and Mike Taylor, MD of marketing and website design firm BBT, they are asking tradies to complete an online questionnaire so their services can be tailored to meet demand. Those completing the form could win a barbeque.
Workplace health & safety organisation Site Safe published the country’s first report on suicides in the construction sector in 2019. It revealed 300 tradies took their own lives in the 10 years to 2017 – pointing to workplace stress, financial strain, and physical injuries as contributing factors.
Edwards says: “People all across the country struggle with mental ill health every day. However, many tradies don’t go into the profession to run their own businesses and can find it difficult to handle and talk about the challenges they face.”
The Tool Down site was launched late last year and features links to a number of existing services such as Lifeline and Suicide Crisis.