The construction industry, the Wall Street Journal reports, is beginning to tackle a significant yet still under-the-radar occupational hazard: suicide.
Among all U.S. occupations, workers in construction and extraction face the highest rate of suicide, according to a January report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Making the industry especially vulnerable is a high concentration of men (who are more at risk) as well as the transient work, low pay, tough schedules and physical rigors that can lead to self-medication and substance abuse.
Firms across the country are setting out to change what’s traditionally been considered a stoic, industrywide “tough-guy” culture by confronting mental health issues, expanding their related service offerings and promoting awareness.
The Construction Financial Management Association has developed suicide prevention guides for companies. Balfour Beatty has not only trained some 250 managers and foremen on the subject, but unveiled new safety posters with illustrations emphasizing the importance of mental wellness. Hoffman Construction Co. is converting part of its on-site construction trailers into “safe rooms” where workers can openly discuss mental health struggles.
Many say the push for suicide prevention is a safety imperative. Whereas 10 construction workers in Washington state died on the job in 2018, for instance, at least 125 people classified as working in the state’s construction and extracting industries took their own lives. Read the full story.
