On Friday 6 November 2026, I delivered my construction safety and mental wellbeing talk, One Choice, One Life, for Soletanche Bachy. In the photo from the day, there’s a message on the screen behind me about getting home to the people you love. I put it there because I remember the shift when I nearly didn’t.
The moment I thought “it’ll be okay”
I was on a ladder going into a trench. The job had been stopped earlier, but we’d been told to carry on. I hadn’t been trained to do that pressure test. Even so, I remember telling myself, “It’ll be okay.” Then the end of the pipe blew off.
I think about what it takes to be the person who says, “Hang on, why are we carrying on?” That’s a hard question to ask when everyone else is ready to go. If you lead a crew, think about the last time someone raised a concern mid-job. What did you say to them? Everyone within earshot heard your answer too.
What followed me home
I was off work for over eight months. At home I kept replaying what had happened. I found it hard to tell the people closest to me what was going through my head. Eventually I sat down with a therapist and started saying those things out loud.
That experience is why I talk about mental wellbeing with construction teams. If a mate has been through an incident, ask how they’re getting on a few weeks down the line. Give them time to answer, especially if the first thing they say is “I’m fine.”
The Soletanche Bachy UK Zone
Thank you to everyone who joined me on Friday. The event slide shows Soletanche Bachy alongside Soil Engineering, McDonnell Piling, Menard, Roger Bullivant and Bachy Soletanche.
If you’re planning a safety day or a back-to-work briefing, you can get in touch to bring One Choice, One Life to your team.