New CLC Mental Health Code of Practice Highlights Need for Prevention-Led Approach

June 30, 2026

The British Drilling Association (BDA) Health & Safety Sub-Committee is encouraging members to review the Construction Leadership Council’s newly published Mental Health Joint Code of Practice, which sets out a practical framework for preventing and managing psychosocial risk across the construction industry.

The Code, titled “How we create mentally healthy workplaces in construction”, has been developed as a sector-wide response to the mental health challenges facing construction. It is highly relevant to BDA members, drilling contractors, specialist suppliers, consultants, clients and others working across the ground investigation, geotechnical and wider construction sectors.

The Code moves the conversation beyond awareness alone and places greater emphasis on prevention. It encourages the industry to treat mental health risk with the same level of structure, seriousness and accountability as physical health and safety risk. This means looking at how work is planned, procured, resourced, sequenced, communicated and led, rather than relying only on individual resilience or support once people are already struggling.

For the drilling sector, this approach is particularly relevant. Many of the pressures identified in the Code will be familiar to those working in land drilling and ground investigation, including long hours, demanding programmes, travel, working away from home, changing site requirements, commercial pressure, welfare standards, fatigue, communication challenges and the need for clear routes to support.

The Code identifies five main hazard clusters:

• Working patterns, including long hours, shift patterns, long-distance travel and time away from home.
• Operational demands, including unachievable deadlines, poor planning and poor communication.
• People factors and working environment, including leadership, support, welfare facilities, bullying and harassment.
• Financial issues, including payment pressures, job insecurity, disputed payments and financial literacy.
• Support factors, including mental health literacy, help-seeking behaviour and stigma.

Importantly, the Code encourages organisations to look “upstream” at the conditions that create harm in the first place. In practical terms, this means considering whether risks can be eliminated at source, reduced through better controls, or, where people are already under pressure, supported through clear and accessible help.

This prevention-led approach should resonate strongly with the drilling sector. Drilling operations already depend on careful planning, competent people, robust risk assessment, good communication and strong site supervision. The same principles can be applied to psychosocial risk, helping employers and clients consider how work demands, programme pressure, fatigue, isolation, welfare provision and communication can affect mental health and safe performance.

The BDA Health & Safety Sub-Committee believes the publication of the Code provides a useful opportunity for members to review their own arrangements and consider whether mental health and wellbeing are being properly integrated into existing health and safety systems.

Members may wish to consider:

• how mental health risks are currently identified and assessed
• whether fatigue, travel, long hours and working away from home are being managed effectively
• whether workers feel able to raise concerns early
• whether welfare arrangements support dignity and wellbeing
• whether supervisors and managers have the confidence to recognise and respond to emerging issues
• whether commercial and programme pressures are creating avoidable risk
• whether support routes are visible, accessible and understood

The Code also aligns mental health risk management with a Plan-Do-Check-Act approach, helping organisations identify hazards, assess risk, implement controls, monitor effectiveness and improve over time. For BDA members, this may provide a helpful structure for integrating mental health considerations into existing safety management systems, site planning processes, audits, toolbox talks, management reviews and workforce engagement activity.

The BDA will continue to monitor developments in this area and encourages members to familiarise themselves with the CLC Code and consider how its principles may apply within their own businesses and project environments.

Mental health should not be treated as separate from health and safety. It is part of how work is designed, managed and delivered. As the industry continues to focus on competence, safety, quality and sustainability, the prevention of psychosocial risk should form part of that same wider commitment to protecting people and improving standards across the sector.

Members can read the Construction Leadership Council Mental Health Joint Code of Practice via the CLC website here: https://www.constructionleadershipcouncil.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CLC-Mental-Health-Code-of-Practice-V1.pdf