Tony Steel, operations director at construction charity Band of Builders, said people in the industry “put our own stigma in place”.
“People think that if you talk about mental health you are showing a weakness and it isn’t a weakness at all,” he added.
Mr Steel told BBC Radio Kent that mental ill-health is “no different to having a sprained ankle” and people can get help to recover.
The charity boss said construction was “an amazing, fantastic industry” that he encourages people to join, and his organisation was offering a “support network for people, should they need it”.