Assessment of a workplace intervention targeting bullying and mental health for construction industry apprentices: A three-pillared approach

Background Young construction industry apprentices are subjected to routine workplace bullying which has been linked to poor mental health and suicidality, increased substance use, job dissatisfaction, and apprenticeship non-completion. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a threefold training intervention program comprised of Apprentice Resilience Training , Supervisor Training , and Toolbox Training , targeting construction apprentices, supervisors, and all trade workers respectively. Methods A cross sectional pre- and post- intervention study was applied to assess the effectiveness of Apprentice Resilience Training , Supervisor Training , and Toolbox Training between July 2023 and February 2024 in Queensland and the Northern Territory, Australia. Data was collected from a sample of 927 construction workers (95 apprentices, 89 supervisors and 743 general trade workers). Results The results provided preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of all three training programs in improving construction workers’ attitudes and knowledge in relation to issues around bullying and related topics presented in the sessions. Statistically significant improvements were seen from pre- to post-training on all survey items for both the Supervisor Training and Toolbox Training evaluation, and for the majority of items for the Apprentice Resilience Training evaluation. Conclusions The findings from this study provide encouraging evidence for the effectiveness of the overall bullying intervention program. These findings are important for assessing the effectiveness of specific aspects of the training programs, and also provide a baseline measure against which to compare cohorts of apprentices in the future. The results highlight the importance of the bullying intervention program as a long-term investment in apprentices’ future health and wellbeing and reinforce the need for consistent, ongoing efforts to build workforce resilience and a stronger, more supportive industry culture.