Joe Whiteman, director of safety services The Voice Newsletter September 2022

Nearly five times as many construction workers die by suicide than by any other work-related death. September is Suicide Prevention Month. Across the country, contractors, owners, and developers are taking time to raise awareness on suicide prevention in construction by sharing toolbox talks and educating the workforce on the signs and symptoms of someone struggling with mental health challenges or suicidal thoughts.

It's not too late. We can do our part to have an impact on this challenge. We need to make this discussion a regular occurrence beyond an annual campaign. This topic needs to be openly and frequently discussed. When you do this, people become more comfortable sharing their experiences and begin to get more involved because they feel valued.

As contractors and employers we need to integrate mental health and suicide prevention into our everyday work culture and operations. This may seem like a daunting task. Where do you start? Who do we include in the discussion? Are we prepared? If we identify a worker struggling with suicidal thoughts, can we find them the help and support they need? 

As overwhelming as it sounds, there is a simple tool available to assess your current position, and identify areas as to how to address mental health and suicide. The Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP) has a simple Needs Analysis and Implementation Tool designed to help companies evaluate how they can address mental health and suicide prevention. It also helps companies determine how prepared they are to handle a suicide or mental health crisis.

The Needs Analysis has questions for company leadership, along with suggestions and actions to improve their overall approach to addressing mental health challenges. The value in this process is to set the groundwork for a safe and open culture for addressing mental health and suicide related challenges. This will span beyond a month, as these initiatives and actions become part of your organization’s normal operations in prioritizing your employees’ safety.