Mental Wellness in Construction

By Elizabeth Crowley

Construction workers have always played a visible role in our nation’s prosperity and economic health. After all, they literally build our cities, go to heights where few other people venture and help modernize our world.

Construction workers are known for their strength, determination and grit, but there is also a darker and, sadly, unconfronted reality to their work environment that needs more attention. Namely, the high rates of substance abuse, suicide and depression among our workforce. In fact, construction workers are five times more likely to die from suicide than from work-related injuries, and four times more likely to die from suicide than the average person.

Most safety discussions in the construction industry largely center around on-duty hazards, workplace injuries and physical fitness. Mental health and wellness, unfortunately, are almost afterthoughts.

This year the Building Trades Employers’ Association devoted its annual safety conference exclusively to mental wellness and suicide prevention. Each September marks National Suicide Prevention Month, and this year we worked to better understand that construction health and wellness are as important as promoting physical safety.

We organized outreach materials, making a suicide awareness video and provided other resources available for our member companies and workers. Our information package, titled Toolbox Talk, covers vital topics, including, “Changing the Statistics of Suicide in Construction,” “How to Talk to Someone at Risk of Suicide,” “The Risk of Suicide in Construction” and “Mental Health and Suicide Prevention as a Safety Priority.” We even produced posters and hardhat stickers with the message: “It’s Ok To Not Be Ok” along with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 988 phone number.

Our industry is working to better understand both the physical and mental factors that cause approximately 5,000 construction workers to commit suicide each year, amounting to nearly 14 suicides every day.
Construction workers often work irregular hours, can be stopped from working due to bad weather and always put on their hardhats for long days of physically demanding work. Irregular work schedules that are associated with construction work not only increase the likelihood of depression and anxiety, but also negatively impact the ability of construction workers to regulate their stress levels, sleep quality and healthy eating and exercise habits.

The national opioid crisis disproportionately affected the construction industry. Workplace injuries that lead to prescription painkiller use have contributed to 1.3% of construction workers reporting opioid abuse – nearly twice the national average – and roughly 40% of national suicides by overdose involve opioids.

Superintendents are being encouraged to ensure they foster an environment where crew feels comfortable reaching out in times of need. The old school mentality of “knuckle down and get on with it” only further exacerbates the problem.

We are working with the construction industry to ensure workers are given all the necessary tools to manage their mental health and well-being.

Suicide may not be the most comfortable topic to discuss, but the value of awareness cannot be understated. In a 2023 survey on mental health in the construction industry, 40% of surveyed construction workers reported that their employers and supervisors offered no mental health services of any kind.

As an industry, we can and will do better.

If you, or anyone you know, are dealing with mental health struggles, reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline.

Elizabeth Crowley is president and CEO of the Building Trades Employers’ Association.