The Construction Leadership Council has backed SMAC-21, which is due to take place between 11-22 October later this year.

Click here to read their press release.

Companies including BAM Nuttall, Barhale, Dyer & Butler, Galliford Try, HS2 Ltd, Jones Bros, Skanska Infrastructure and Story Contracting will join forces with Cancer Research UK for this year’s Stop. Make a Change event which will run from 10 October until 23 October.
 
Stop. Make a Change is the largest health & safety stand down in UK construction. In the last four years hundreds of thousands of workers have taken part in initiatives to boost health & safety performance on sites. 
 
This year Stop. Make a Change will respond to the impact of Covid-19 with companies starting conversations with their workforce about how they have been affected. There will be a particular focus on cancer, and mental wellbeing. Industry leaders have identified these as significant challenges for the sector's workforce which have been worsened by the Coronavirus pandemic. 
 
Cancer Research UK and Mates in Mind have both signed up as partners this year. It is the first year that Cancer Research UK have taken this role, reflecting the real risk that occupational cancers may have gone undiagnosed during the lockdown as workers avoided seeking medical attention to avoid using healthcare facilities. The standdowns will act as a reminder to workers of the importance of acting on any concerns or symptoms leading to diagnosis that might otherwise have been missed. 
 
The pressures of home working and uncertain employment prospects also risk damaging the health of workers with a particular impact on mental wellbeing. As such the second priority of mental wellbeing will allow employees to use Stop Make a Change to discuss how to support workers who are facing difficulties and improve the general wellbeing of the sector workforce. 
 
Commenting, CECA Chief Executive Alasdair Reisner said: “Last year, more than 200,000 people took part in Stop. Make a Change, and given the nation’s experience of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has never been a better time to re-engage with our personal health, safety, and wellbeing.
 
“CECA is proud to support this important initiative, which will drive positive change, encourage conversation, and enable industry to work together to make sure we address the key health, safety and wellbeing risks our industry faces.”
 
Coral Jones, Head of New Partnerships at Cancer Research UK, commented: “Cancer Research UK is delighted to be involved in this year’s Stop. Make a Change campaign. 

“In the UK, 4 in 10 cancers could be prevented largely by stopping smoking, drinking less alcohol, being safe in the sun, and keeping a healthy weight. In the construction industry smoking rates, alcohol consumption, and sun exposure are higher than average, which could be putting workers at a higher risk of cancer. 
 
“Through this campaign we are hoping to raise awareness of preventable cancer risk factors and help workers stack the odds in their favour. We are excited to work together with the construction industry to help beat cancer.”
 
James Rudoni, Managing Director of Mates in Mind, said: “We are proud to once again be a part of the Stop. Make a Change campaign, bringing organisations together in a commitment for positive, long lasting change. 
 
“This year especially, the importance of positive mental health cannot be underestimated. As the entire globe battles with an issue of immense scale and unprecedented human impact, the after effects of COVID on the mental health of individuals is yet to be seen.
 
If companies would like to highlight what they are doing during SMAC-20, they are invited use the social media hashtag #StopMakeAChange.
 
To find out more on SMAC-20, please visit https://www.stopmakeachange.co.uk/  and to register your interest please e-mail SMAC-20@ceca.co.uk.
 
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Notes to Editors
1. The Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) represents over 300 contractors of all sizes, covering approximately 80% of the civil engineering market in Great Britain. Our members build infrastructure that provides the basis for economic sustainability and quality of life in communities across the country.
2. About Cancer Research UK:
• Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research.
• Cancer Research UK’s pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives.
• Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival in the UK double in the last 40 years.
• Today, 2 in 4 people survive their cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK’s ambition is to accelerate progress so that by 2034, 3 in 4 people will survive their cancer for at least 10 years.
• Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.
• Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK’s vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.
For further information about Cancer Research UK’s work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1022 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org.
3. Mates in Mind is a registered charity that works in partnership with the construction industry and leading mental health organisations. It aims to:
• Raise awareness and understanding of mental health and mental ill-health.
• Help people to understand how, when and where to get support.
• Break the silence and stigma through promoting cultures of positive wellbeing throughout the industry.
Mates in Mind recognises that every organisation has its own culture and way of working, so aims to support employers in creating their own approach through support, education, training, awareness-raising materials and a programme of research. For more information click here.

The UK’s largest construction health and safety stand down is giving its backing in 2019 to an industry campaign on the sector’s key risks.
For 2019 Stop. Make a Change is aligning itself with the Infrastructure Client Group’s Top Risks project. The project aims to address seven of the biggest health, safety and wellbeing risks in the sector. Over the next year the Top Risks project will seek ways to tackle risks associated with:

1. People & Mobile plant
   
2. Mental health
3. Striking buried services
4. Lifting operations
5. Heavy goods vehicles operations
6. Hand-arm vibration related disease
7. Public safety

Since its launch in 2017, Stop. Make a Change has grown with around 100,000 workers for 100 different employers taking part in the initiative last year. Stop. Make a Change enables sites, offices and production facilities stop work for focussed discussions on health, safety and wellbeing. Customers, contractors and suppliers are encouraged to make specific commitments to drive improved performance in these priority areas and share best practice.
Commenting, CECA Chief Executive Alasdair Reisner said:
“Stop. Make a Change has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2017 becoming a construction wide initiative for companies of all sizes to participate in. This year’s themes, have been driven by the Infrastructure Client Group (ICG), which represents some of the country’s largest client organisations. Together industry is working to make sure we address the key health, safety and wellbeing risks that our sector faces. It is imperative that this momentum is maintained if we are to generate real change in how the construction sector operates.”
Stop. Make a Change 2019 events will take place from 9 to 13 September. Full details can be found at www.stopmakeachange.co.uk, while companies interested in signing up for 2019 can contact enquiries@ceca.co.uk .

Some of the UK’s largest building companies have signed up to take part in the country’s largest construction health & safety stand down.
Wates, McLaren and Seddon are among new faces that will take part in Stop. Make a Change in 2018.
The initiative was launched in 2017 to bring the industry together to improve health and safety performance. In its first year more than 60,000 people took part in stand down events.
Last year Stop. Make a Change focussed solely on the infrastructure sector. However, for 2018 this has expanded out to cover the wider construction sector.
Across two weeks from 16 April, there will be stand downs on sites and in offices across the UK, targeting two priority areas: mental health and plant safety.
As well as big builders, two of the industry’s leading charities are also backing to Stop. Make a Change, and will be supporting companies in relation to the mental health priority.
The Lighthouse Club oversees the Construction Industry Helpline and has worked with the Civil Engineering Contractors Association, which manages Stop. Make a Change, to provide thousands of cards and posters that will be distributed to workers. The cards provide details of the helpline, which provides support on mental health & wellbeing, as well as advice on financial, legal, tax and debt management.
Meanwhile construction mental health charity Mates in Mind will provide free ‘Manage the Conversation’ training courses for managers. The courses will run on 24 April in London, Birmingham, Bristol and Newcastle.
Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity said: “CECA are encouraging everyone that participates in Stop. Make a Change to make sure they have one of our helpline packs. The packs include posters for sites and offices and helpline cards that can be distributed to their workforce so that workers know where to turn to if they need support. Our helpline provides a free of charge, confidential 24/7 helpline safety net for all construction workers and their families in the UK and Ireland”.
Steve Hails, chair of Mates in Mind said: “In workplaces across the UK, managers and supervisors are increasingly being approached by workers who are suffering with poor mental health. For many managers, this is a challenging prospect and they may be nervous about how to handle such a conversation. We are proud to support Stop. Make a Change, and to work with CECA to offer training for managers to be more confident in these situations”
Stop. Make a Change has been supported by CITB’s Structured Fund as part of Infrastructure 21, a Civil Engineering Contractors Association-led project to help ensure that civils suppliers are primed ready for expected growth in the sector in the coming years.
To get involved, visit, www.stopmakeachange.co.uk, or to book a place on the ‘Manage the Conversation’ courses email enquiries@ceca.co.uk. To get your construction industry helpline pack, visit www.constructionindustryhelpline.com/products
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60,000 people from across UK infrastructure will join forces today to help drive better health, safety and wellbeing in the sector.
More than 1,000 sites, office and production facilities across the country will today take part in Stop. Make a Change, a cross-industry stand-down to tackle some of the key health & safety challenges faced by the sector. It is thought that this is the largest stand-down event ever undertaken in the UK construction sector.
Since it was launched in November 2016 more than 50 organisations – from the sector’s largest customers and contractors to small and specialist SMEs - have signed up to support the initiative. More than 30 are making specific commitments that will be briefed out during today’s events.
The commitments relate to four priorities that have been chosen by an industry expert panel - mental health, fatigue, plant safety and respiratory health. Each organisation has chosen commitments that will focus on improving performance within their business, supporting better outcomes for employees in each area.
As well as their own employees, organisations taking part are engaging with their supply chain partners, with more than 3,000 other companies expected to be involved in today’s events.
Stop. Make a Change has been supported by CITB’s Structured Fund as part of Infrastructure 21, a Civil Engineering Contractors Association-led project to help ensure that civils suppliers are primed ready for expected growth in the sector in the coming years.
CITB chief executive Sarah Beale said: “It’s great to see so many employers getting behind this important campaign. While we know that there has been sustained improvements in health and safety in recent years, there is much more to be done.
“Stop. Make a Change signals a new, heightened awareness of health and wellbeing issues among construction firms and their employees across the UK, which CITB is pleased to support.”
 CECA chief executive Alasdair Reisner said: “When we first started planning Stop. Make a Change we hoped that we might get up to 10 companies and a few thousand employers involved in this first year. The response from industry has been tremendous, with a real desire to use the event as an opportunity to deliver positive change across the sector. We are looking forward to events today, and the health, safety and wellbeing improvements that they will drive”.
Organisations involved in Stop. Make a Change will provide feedback on the impact that the commitments that they have made have had upon their business, with best practice shared between all contributing organisations later this year. 

Some of the biggest names in the infrastructure sector have thrown their weight behind the first ever UK-wide health & safety stand-down which is due to take place this spring.

Stop. Make a Change. has been developed by some of the industry’s leading contractors and customers working with the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA). It was launched at CECA’s 20th anniversary conference in November last year, with the backing of 18 leading contractors and customers.

Since then a host of further names from the sector have signed up to take part in the initiative including clients Gatwick Airport, Transport Scotland and Scottish Water as well as main contractors including Galliford Try/Morrison Construction, Clancy Docwra, Hochtief and Ferrovial Agroman. It is also backed by a range of SMEs and industry bodies. 

Stop. Make a Change. will take place on 18 April with companies involved making commitments relating to four key health, safety and wellbeing topics – Mental health, plant safety, fatigue, and respiratory illness. Each business will decide on their own commitments and will use the event to brief staff and suppliers about them. It is intended that good practice developed through Stop. Make a Change will be shared among supporters through a guide published later this year.

CECA chief executive Alasdair Reisner said: “It is fantastic that there has been such strong support from across the industry for Stop. Make a Change. When industry was developing the idea, it was recognised that we would be able to achieve the greatest impact if it was taken up widely, bringing best practice from clients, contractors and suppliers nationwide.

“We are looking forward to seeing what each organization is doing to drive change on each of the four topics, and are keen to share this as best practice later this year.”

CEMEX Health and Safety Director Andy Taylor said: We are delighted to taking part in the Stop. Make a Change. campaign. Health, safety and well-being is our number one priority and we join many other high profile companies in the infrastructure sector who are dedicated to making it their priority on 18 April.”
​
Notes to editors
1. Full details of Stop. Make a Change. can be found on the projects website at www.stopmakeachange.co.uk including a newly published guide to running a stand-down within your organization.
2. New organisations to have signed up for Stop. Make a Change include Amiante STR, CEMEX, Cheetham Hill Construction Ltd, Clancy Docwra, CSCS, Farrans, Ferrovial Agroman, Galliford Try, Gatwick Airport, Hochtief, HZ Inova, Institution of Civil Engineers, M.B.Roche & Sons, McLaughlin & Harvey, Morrison Construction, Raymond Brown Construction Ltd, Scottish Water, and Transport Scotland.
3. They join founding partners BAM Nuttall, Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Costain, Crossrail, Environment Agency, Heathrow Airport, Highways England, HS2 Ltd, Lagan Construction, Morgan Sindall, Network Rail, Skanska, Tideway & VolkerWessels UK.

Workplaces across the UK will down tools next year as leading lights from UK infrastructure work together to boost health, safety and wellbeing in the sector.
Stop. Make a Change. will see top contractors and customers stand down work on sites and in offices across the country on the morning of 18 April 2017. It is the first time that such a national stand-down event has taken place in the UK.
Each organisation involved will use the stand down to discuss with employees and suppliers how the industry can work together to boost its performance in relation to health, safety and wellbeing. These discussions will be built around four priority areas, which have been developed by an expert panel drawn from across the industry.
The 2017 priorities are:

• Mental health
• Respiratory illness
• Fatigue
• Plant safety

The event will also see each organisation that take part in the event make commitments in relation to each priority. Organisations will be able to decide on their own commitments, that will reflect their specific needs . Over the course of the following year each organisation will implement their commitments, report back on the impact and share best practice ahead of the 2018 Stop. Make a Change event.
Involvement in Stop. Make a Change is open to any organisation that works in the UK infrastructure sector, including customers, contractors and suppliers. Companies that are interested in taking part are invited to contact admin@ceca.co.uk to receive full details of how to get involved.
CECA chief executive Alasdair Reisner said: "As an industry we have made tremendous progress in recent years to improve our health, safety and wellbeing. However there remains significant scope to improve. We think Stop. Make a Change will provide a platform for the sector to work together, tackling some of the leading issues faced by our workforce and supply chain"
Nick Fletcher, Morgan Sindall’s managing director of Infrastructure said: “We are committed to ensuring that our strategy for health, safety and wellbeing provides continuous improvements for all our employees and other stakeholders – we do this by measuring both the inputs and the outputs of our strategy. It is important to keep things fresh, and using inputs like Stop. Make a Change are invaluable opportunities for us to reflect on our performance and review how we can continue to develop and advance – not just at Morgan Sindall, but across the industry as a whole.”
Stop. Make a Change. has been developed by the Civil Engineering Contractors Association, with the support of the Construction Industry Training Board through its structured fund.
Organisations that have committed to take part in Stop. Make a Change include:
BAM Nuttall, Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Costain, Crossrail, Environment Agency, Heathrow Airport, Highways England,  HS2 Ltd, Lagan Construction, Morgan Sindall, Network Rail, Skanska,  Tideway & VolkerWessels UK.