Building a Safer Future: Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Construction

Safety is an ongoing concern in the construction industry; 1 in 5 fatal injuries in 2021 occurred on construction sites. Jobsites include many hazardous tools, equipment and situations where workers can fall, suffer severe lacerations or are injured by heavy equipment.

Construction had the most fatal injuries among all industry sectors in 2023 and is the highest for the sector going back to 2011. Falls, slips and trips accounted for nearly 40% of all construction fatalities, with transportation incidents accounting for another roughly 22%. Specialty trade contractors in private construction account for the most fatal falls, slips and trips.

This information comes from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries for 2023, released in December 2024 (www.bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.htm). “Most fatal falls to a lower level (64.4%) within construction were from a height of between 6 and 30 ft., while 67 fatal falls were from a height of more than 30 ft.,” the report notes. “Portable ladders and stairs were the primary source of 109 fatalities in construction.”

The problem has become so widespread that people can obtain degrees in construction safety. While safety may be part of a construction management curriculum, Google “construction safety degree programs” and you will find a plethora of colleges and universities offering these associate or bachelor’s degree programs. Many of these courses, also known as occupational safety and health degrees, can be completed online.

Students learn about general construction safety, working with hazardous materials, industrial hygiene, fire safety and risk management.   

Mental health: Less Visible - Vitally Important

However, not all work health issues are physical. Mental health challenges abound in today’s society, including drug and alcohol abuse. Our modern life has put much pressure on us and some cannot carry the load alone. However, a stigma still exists for people working through those issues with medication or therapy; many people hide their illness and self-medicate or ignore the problem.

Our industry is not immune to this pervasive health issue.

“The construction industry has one of the highest suicide rates among professions—with the rate among male construction workers 75% higher than men in the general population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC, https://bit.ly/41M9qFU],” reports NBC News. “An estimated 6,000 construction workers [died] by suicide in 2022, an increase from 2021, according to the most recent data available. That compares to around 1,000 who died from a construction work-related injury.”  

Brian Turmail, Vice President of Public Affairs and Workforce for the Associated General Contractors of America, told NBC News: “When you’re more likely to be killed by your own hands than to get killed in a jobsite accident, that’s a crisis in our industry. We know pretty much what needs to happen to protect people physically. We’re figuring out how to protect people mentally.”

The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the construction industry. Its mission is to reduce jobsite hazardous conditions, research various construction safety issues, and provide training to apply research results to real-world job conditions. Mental health is a safety issue it has been vocal about.

“There is not a simple answer to why this [suicide] increase has occurred—particularly among construction workers,” notes its website, www.cpwr.com. “However, just as we develop and identify resources to help workers and employers prevent visible injuries and illnesses, we are also committed to preventing those that may be less visible but equally as important to the safety, health and well-being of the construction workforce.”

CPWR and its creator, North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), launched an e-newsletter in early 2024 to help the construction industry prevent suicides and deaths from opioids. The REASON (Resources and Effective programs Addressing Suicides and Opioids Now) publication shares comprehensive solutions, important research and free resources highlighting positive steps to help workers. It highlights local trade organizations, online resources, research results and prevention strategies.

For example, the December 2024 issue highlights “fatigue management” programs for construction workers (https://bit.ly/3DpvagR). “Studies of the impacts of long work hours, excess consecutive days of work and irregular shifts are clear: Workers are less productive and at greater risk of both physical injuries and mental health problems, including suicide,” the article notes.

A fatigue management program is an “effective way to address mental health challenges on worksites, as well [as to] improve safety, productivity and quality, and to reduce absenteeism.” Programs monitor working hours and require senior management to sign off on workers scheduled for more than 50 hours a week. Employers develop schedules so that all workers have a full weekend off once a month.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has resources available for workers on how to cope with suicidal thoughts (English and Spanish) and for employers to learn the signs of a worker in trouble and what to do to help (www.osha.gov/preventingsuicides).  

The site also encourages anyone with suicidal thoughts to call the Suicide and Crisis hotline at 988.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month and OSHA promotes Construction Suicide Prevention Week (constructionsuicideprevention.com), which began in September 2020 when a whole lot of people were going through depressive episodes.

The week raises awareness about “the unique challenges workers face in construction that lead to suicide and what we can do to prevent it.” Construction and subcontractor work are physically demanding jobs with long work hours. Some workers must deal with seasonal layoffs, causing financial stress.

A Proactive Approach: Building Mental Resilience

The first holistic mental health certification program designed and built specifically for the construction industry was released in November 2024 (https://bit.ly/3ZF1sf6). The Building Resilience-Construction Mental Health Certification is to help construction professionals address mental health, suicide prevention, substance abuse and proactive mental health care on the job.

“Construction faces some of the highest rates of mental health challenges of any industry—including instances of suicide and substance abuse,” notes Stephanie Lemek, Founder and CEO of the Wounded Workforce (www.thewoundedworkforce.com). “Yet, until now, there hasn’t been a comprehensive mental health program tailored specifically to the industry’s unique needs. Building Resilience is more than a certification—it’s a movement toward creating safer, more supportive workplaces in construction.”

The half-day, in-person program teaches construction professionals how to foster mental health awareness and understand mental health issues in the construction workplace, recognize warning signs and build proactive support systems to prevent suicide, address substance abuse with approaches to reduce the stigma and encourage seeking help, and cultivate resilience in the workplace by encouraging self-care and create sustainable practices for a construction workforce.

Participants who complete the course will earn the Construction Mental Health Certification from The Wounded Workforce.

“Construction professionals are resilient by nature,” Lemek notes. “This certification honors that resilience while providing the education and tools necessary to navigate mental health challenges head-on. We’re helping individuals and companies take concrete steps to prioritize wellbeing and safety.”

Global engineering and construction firm Bechtel has pledged $7 million to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to provide critical resources and programming to 500,000 US construction workers for five years. 

The initiative leverages Bechtel's industry knowledge and reach with AFSP's expertise in suicide prevention research, education programs and effective prevention strategies, along with support from its national network of local chapters.

“This is the start of a long-term, sustained effort to [lift the] whole construction community,” notes Brendan Bechtel, Chairman & CEO of Bechtel. “We want to see mental health become as much a priority as physical safety in our industry. This is the next frontier in taking care of our people.”

The partnership forms a construction working group and a first-ever senior advisory council to help guide the effort, so participation from others in the industry is welcomed.

“AII of us who work in construction have seen gains in physical safety that were once unimaginable become the standard for success,” says Sean McGarvey, President of North America's Building Trades Unions. “It's time to bring the same mindset, resources, and innovation to the issue of mental health and suicide prevention.”

Mental health still has its stigmas, and some workers won’t report problems because they believe their coworkers will see them as weak. However, it takes a strong person to admit to that “weakness” and get help. Whether it’s a coworker, friend, family member or an anonymous voice on the phone, please take the help offered.

For additional resources, visit the CDC at blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2020/09/09/suicide-in-construction.

And call the Suicide and Crisis hotline at 988 if you need help.

Kelly Faloon is a contributing writer to CONTRACTOR and principal of Faloon Editorial Services. The former editor of Plumbing & Mechanical magazine, she has more than 35 years of experience in B2B publishing, with 26 of those years writing about the plumbing, heating, cooling and piping industry. Faloon is a journalism graduate of Michigan State University. You can reach her at [email protected].