Did you know a person working in the construction industry is 5 times more likely to die from suicide than from a work-related injury? According to a 2023 study from the Centers for Disease Control, the suicide rate in the #AEC industry, specifically #construction, is 4 times the national average— and it's growing.
A similar study from the US Census Bureau shows that the construction field ranks second in alcoholism and first in drug abuse, with opioids being the biggest issue; and we're running a close third for divorce, right behind bartenders and flight attendants.
I'm not older than dirt, but it would be fair to say dirt was only a couple of years ahead of me in school. For safety people of my generation, what employees did and how they were doing outside of work hours simply wasn't a priority. The general attitude was, "We've got enough to deal with trying to get these folks to tie off and wear hardhats. What they do when they're off the clock is an S.E.P." (Somebody Else's Problem)
I used to think that way myself, "That's a health and wellness thing. That's an HR deal. I don't get involved in that."
Fortunately, that attitude has gradually changed over the years, as we've come to better understand how many injuries are a result of both home and work behavior. We've learned just how much a team member’s well-being in their personal life affects their work life and their safety on the job. Off-site isn't off-limits anymore. Mental health issues are 24-hour issues— and a teammate and friend lost to suicide or a drug overdose is every bit as tragic, painful, and unnecessary as one lost on the job.
But that still leaves us with the question: as safety professionals, supervisors, industry and business leaders, what are we going to do about it? We have to start by being willing to talk about it, and that's not easy. There's no rulebook. No OSHA regulations to enforce, no ANSI standards, no scientific guidance from NIOSH. It's just us, wrestling with a topic we have to approach with care, compassion, and understanding; and conversations we need to back up with information, guidance, support and resources.
In a couple of weeks Audrey Ralston, MS and I will conduct a Learn & Lead session on mental health and suicide prevention with all 1700(!) of our colleagues at CONSOR Engineers. I'm pretty proud to be part of an organization that not only wants us to get that conversation going, but is giving us a platform to do it and the support to go with it. It carries a lot of weight with me when your team practices what it preaches.
I know mental illness and suicide seem like insurmountable issues. It can be very tempting to throw up your hands and say "That's just the nature of the industry." But it's not. In my career I've seen a lot of progress made on so-called intractable problems, and that experience gives me confidence that with integrity, grit, and collaboration, we can address these as well. Our people and our industry deserve no less.
Public Involvement Manager at Consor
4wBig shout out to Steve Quinn for stepping in with us on PI for this project! As an avid cyclist, he related personally to many concerns that the cycling community shared with us throughout the course of the project. He was able to help guide our responses in a way that really showed an understanding of the needs and priorities of this specific group, and his help made a big difference for my team!