A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows 53.2 per 100,000 construction workers died by suicide in 2021, which is nearly four times greater than the national average and five times greater than that of all other construction fatalities combined.
According to ConstructionNext, construction professional and speaker Dan Lester discusses mental health and suicide in construction in his presentation, “Building Psychological Safety to Address Mental Health.”
Lester said the construction industry has the highest rate of alcohol consumption and is No. 1 in opioid addictions and overdoses. Construction workers often do not seek mental health treatment because of shame, stigma, fear of judgment by peers and negative job consequences.
Lester shared the following strategies to alleviate mental health issues and help prevent suicide among construction workers.
- Watch and listen. Look for significant shifts in an employee’s behavior if you believe he or she is considering suicide.
- Allow for failure. When people are learning, they must learn with failure and not be terrified of failing.
- Ask questions. For example, you can learn something by asking employees what they would do to fix a specific problem if they were in leadership.
- Explain why. If you reject someone’s idea, explain the reason so they feel comfortable sharing more ideas.
- Provide leadership opportunities. Ask for help from lower-status workers so they are included in decision making.
- Get personal. Learn details and show you care about employees’ families and interests.
- Be kind. Fear breeds negative energy and causes people to burn out quickly.
- Forbid personal attacks. Critiquing someone’s work performance should not include personal attacks.
- Develop “psychological safety” at work. Talk openly about mental health so workers feel comfortable doing so without fear of retaliation.
- Thank workers regularly. Showing appreciation is key to employee morale.
- Send handwritten notes. People love a personal touch, so hand notes of appreciation to workers rather than mailing them.
- Be a visible leader. Be present on the job site. Learn names, find out how employees feel and let them know they are important.
