Business North October 2021

72 | CONSTRUCTION Bradley Project Management Targeting wellness in the workplace Kelly Deeks Dan Bradley: “I wanted to do my best to create a change in the industry.” T he construction industry is finally starting to recognise the significance of mental wellbeing, says project manage- ment firm BPM director Dan Bradley, who has put health and wellbeing at the forefront of his operation since it began in 2016. BPM has always offered a multi-faceted wellness programme to its employees, with Dan wanting to ensure his team remains hap- py and healthy. As well as their physical health, Dan wanted a wellness programme that included provi- sion for mental health, but found there was no blueprint, no starting block, and he would have to develop it himself. He started in 2017 with an internal pro- gramme that helps employees to achieve wellness goals, and implemented it with a reasonable amount of success. When a former colleague lost his life, Dan was inspired to push the programme out to the wider construction industry, which is ear- marked as high-risk for mental wellbeing. “I wanted to do my best to create a change in the industry,” he says. “Health and safety is not just about physical safety, it should be about mental health as well.” BPM took its wellbeing programme to the construction projects it manages with the Contractor Wellness Package, and became the first New Zealand project management company to require those companies it works with to operate their own mental health man- agement policy. By the end of 2019, this work won BPM the Leadership in Construction Safety award from Site Safe NZ. In 2020, BPM partnered with mental health services provider CoLiberate and two/fifty - seven owner Ash Holwell to help open up the mental health dialogue within the construc- tion industry. Together they developed a framework to deliver mental health first aid using CONVOS, an acronym similar to the DRS ABC for phys- ical first aid. CONVOS stands for Check risk of harm; Open conversation; Notice impact on life; Validate feelings and experiences; Offer hope for recovery; Support options and actions. The first CONVOS onsite support pro - gramme was rolled out at the end of 2020 at the construction site of two/fiftyseven, a collaborative workspace in Wellington. “It was a great success,” Dan says. “At the end of 2020 the industry was plagued with materials shortages, labour shortages, and a backlog of work due to Covid, so this could have been a very high stress project. But everyone enjoyed themselves and didn’t feel too under pressure. “One of the best pieces of feedback was from a contractor who said instead of coming to site asking his team ‘why isn’t this done?’ he was saying ‘how can I help you to achieve these targets?’ Everyone was able to take five when they needed to, and everyone else knew to find out if they could do anything to help. “Health and safety is not just about physical safety, it should be about mental health as well.” Even if it was just a little thing like getting someone a drink of water, the barriers to helping each other were removed.” BPM picked up another award for this ini- tiative, the ACC Workplace Safety Gold at the 2021 Wellington Gold Awards. Even more gratifying to Dan is the fact that this year, more industry leaders are picking up the challenge and tacking mental health in the industry. Site Safe has recently partnered with St John to launch a brand new Mental Health First Aid in Construction course. “There has been a big shift in the mindset of the industry, and this is something we have been trying to achieve since 2018. Seeing this shift in focus is amazing, and it is something that should have been happening all along.” Proud to be Suppliers of Design / Build / Mechanical Services to Dan Bradley Project Management Phone 09 827 0697 • 1016C Great South Road, Penrose, Auckland • P.O. Box 80237, Green Bay, Auckland