After undergoing 19 surgeries and spending hours on hospital wards, Long Bay electrician Dave Burt slid into despair. But he hid it so well no-one knew he was struggling.

Burt is a successful businessman, Master Electrician board director, and owner of Team Cabling on the North Shore. He's also proud to stand up and admit he's battled depression.



"When I felt depressed I was terrified people would find out. I didn’t want to be judged and defined by a mental illness, and I didn’t want people to think less of me. It was only after my book 'Lengthening the Shadow' was published that I effectively let the cat out of the bag," Burt says.



According to Site Safe’s Suicide Mortality Review Committee (2016) the New Zealand construction industry has the highest proportion of suicides across all industries in New Zealand. At 6.9% it is marginally higher than farming and forestry at 6.8%.This means 6.9% of all employed male suicides in New Zealand are committed by the construction industry workforce.

The report says there is currently no NZ research to explain why the rate of suicide for the construction industry is so high, or what the underlying mental health issues for the workforce might be. There’s also no data on the prevalence of depression and suicide among electricians specifically. However Site Safe is currently working with BRANZ to highlight the issue.