Why Mental Health Awareness Matters in Pest Control
Mark Coltman, MINDSAFE Coaching
I’ve been in pest control since 1994 and in those three decades I’ve learned that this industry is built on a specific kind of person. Decent, hard-working, and incredibly good at “just getting on with it.” But that same mentality can also be a double-edged sword. It makes us great technicians, yet it’s also one of the reasons so many people struggle in silence.
The numbers from BASF’s 2024 industry survey didn’t pull any punches. When 87% of respondents reported experiencing work-related stress and a third rated their mental health as poor, it’s clear this is not something we can dismiss as simply “part of the job.
The reality is that our trade creates a unique set of pressures. A technician can spend hours driving between jobs without a meaningful conversation. Often it’s just them, the van, and the next customer. On top of that, we see things the public rarely sees. We walk into homes affected by hoarding, neglect, and extreme poverty. We deal with distressed customers and difficult situations, witness parts of society that many people never encounter and we absorb that weight every day, often without realising it.
One of the biggest issues facing our industry isn’t absenteeism, it’s presenteeism. When someone turns up for work physically but is struggling mentally or emotionally. They still complete their work, write the reports and attend their appointments, but they’re operating below their normal standard because they’re mentally exhausted.
That carries a cost for businesses, but more importantly it carries a cost for the people experiencing it. You see, in a traditional office, a struggling colleague may be noticed quickly. But in the field, it’s often much harder to spot. It can look like the reliable technician who starts making unusual mistakes or the normally chatty person who goes quiet or suddenly snaps at a client or manager.
Because our people spend so much time working alone, these signs can easily be missed. We are an industry of problem-solvers, we fix things for a living. Yet we still need to tackle the stigma that can surround mental health conversations. We’re meticulous when it comes to physical safety and we don’t think twice about COSHH assessments, PPE, or RAMS because we understand the consequences of getting them wrong. Mental wellbeing at all levels deserves that same level of attention.
Some people will see company discussions about mental health and immediately think about costs, productivity, or corporate initiatives to tick a box. While there is undoubtedly a business case, this goes much deeper than that. Over the years I’ve seen good people leave the industry. I’ve watched as talented technicians burn out and businesses lose experienced staff, because the signs weren’t recognised early enough or because nobody felt comfortable starting a conversation.
A healthy business may be more productive, but a healthy technician is also a father or a mother, a partner, a friend, a son or daughter and a human being who deserves support when they need it. Sometimes the most important question we can ask is also the simplest. “How are you?”
For somebody who has spent the day working alone, that conversation can make more difference than you realise. Resilience isn’t about suffering in silence, the strongest people I’ve met in this industry are often those who recognise when they’re struggling and have the courage to talk about it.
Notice people, check in with them and don’t walk past someone who clearly isn’t themselves. It doesn’t take much, but it matters more than you might think.
Mark Coltman
Pest control professional with more than 30 years’ experience in the industry and founder of MINDSAFE Coaching, helping businesses build mentally safer workplaces.
Useful Resources
If you or someone you know is struggling:
PestMinds: www.pestminds.co.uk. Industry-specific anonymous stories and experiences.
Samaritans: 116 123 or text SHOUT to 85258
CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably): 0800 58 58 58
Mind: 0300 123 3393
