Men’s Health Week, taking place from 15 to 21 June, is an important opportunity to raise awareness of preventable health issues affecting men, including those linked to the workplace.
For employers, managers and training providers, it is also a timely reminder that health and safety is not only about preventing accidents. It is also about protecting workers from long-term occupational health risks and supporting mental wellbeing.
Many industries with higher occupational health hazards are male dominated, including construction, manufacturing, engineering, skilled trades and maintenance work. Workers in these sectors can face a combination of physical health risks, exposure to hazardous substances and work-related stress.
Men are often overrepresented in roles where exposure to dusts, fumes, noise, vibration, asbestos and other hazardous substances may occur. Some of these risks do not cause immediate symptoms but can lead to serious illness many years later.
That is why awareness, prevention and early action are so important.
During Men’s Health Week, organisations can use the opportunity to talk openly about both physical health and mental health at work.
Although asbestos is now banned in the UK, it can still be present in many older buildings. Tradespeople such as builders, electricians, plumbers, joiners, maintenance workers and decorators may still disturb asbestos-containing materials during everyday work.
Exposure to asbestos fibres can cause serious diseases, including mesothelioma, a cancer caused almost exclusively by past asbestos exposure.
Men working in skilled trades experience higher rates of mesothelioma mortality, highlighting the continued need for practical asbestos awareness and safe working practices.
Employers and workers should make sure they understand:
The HSE provides a quick guide for tradespeople offering practical asbestos guidance.
Another serious occupational health issue is exposure to respirable crystalline silica, particularly when cutting, grinding or polishing materials such as stone, concrete, brick and engineered stone.
Silicosis is a serious and irreversible lung disease caused by inhaling fine silica dust. HSE has highlighted the risks associated with engineered stone dust, and almost all reported silicosis cases are male.
Work involving engineered stone must be properly controlled. This includes using effective dust suppression, suitable extraction, respiratory protective equipment where required, and safe working methods.
The HSE has updated guidance on controlling risks when cutting or polishing engineered stone, which employers should review and apply where relevant.
Men’s Health Week is also a chance to talk about mental health.
Work-related stress can affect anyone, but in male-dominated industries there may still be barriers that prevent workers from speaking up or asking for support. Long hours, job pressure, financial worries, physical demands, lone working and challenging site conditions can all contribute to poor mental wellbeing.
Employers have a legal duty to assess and manage risks from work-related stress, just as they would any other workplace hazard.
The HSE’s Working Minds campaign provides free resources to help employers prevent work-related stress and support good mental health at work.
Simple steps can make a real difference, such as:
Men’s Health Week is a useful prompt to review how well occupational health risks are being managed across your organisation.
Employers can use the week to:
Workplace health risks are not always visible, and the impact may not be immediate. However, conditions linked to asbestos, silica dust and work-related stress can have life-changing consequences.
Men’s Health Week is a valuable opportunity to raise awareness, challenge stigma and encourage safer, healthier working practices across the trades and wider industry.
By using HSE’s free guidance and resources, employers can take practical steps to protect workers’ long-term health, not just during Men’s Health Week, but all year round.
