News (Page 3)
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Tackling Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in the Construction Industry
July/August 2016 Issue | By: Cal Beyer & Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas | Source: Construction Executive
Workers in the construction and extraction industries have a 53.3 per 100,000 rate of suicide, which is second only to workers in the farming, fishing and forest occupational group (84.5 per 100,000), according to statistics released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on July 1. Mental health and suicide prevention have been called a “management imperative,” a “missing link” in human capital risk management, and a “vital element” in a company’s safety, wellness and employee benefits program. Yet historically, the construction industry has been characterized by a stoic, tough-guy culture that keeps personal matters out of the workplace. After generations of this old school mentality, the times are changing as progressive contractors weave mental health and suicide prevention into a dominant “new school” culture. Following are the stories of two construction employers that are leading the movement. Read more...
Mental health on the minds of union sheet metal workers
July 27, 2016 | Source: Eye On Sheet Metal
FAIRFAX, Va. – For decades, when a member of the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, or SMART, (formerly the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association) had a personal problem, they would turn to a fellow member for help. For small issues, friends and mentors dispensed good advice just fine. However, for those members with deeper problems such as thoughts of suicide or drug and alcohol abuse and substance use disorder, friends and mentors were lost as to what advice to give.
The Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) is working with SMART’s Member Assistance Program (MAP), formally the Union Member Assistance Coordinator (UMAC) program, to train members to guide their peers in the direction of professional assistance such as therapy, rehabilitation and eventual recovery. Read more...
Suicide Prevention: A Health and Safety Priority for the Construction Industry
July 27, 2016 | By: Nate Traylor | Source: Pool and Spa News
A new report from the CDC places laborers in construction among those most at risk of suicide. Now a group of finance executives have placed themselves on the front lines of prevention.
Construction is an industry where you are more likely to self-destruct. That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. The agency examined the frequency of suicides across different occupational groups and found that construction had the second highest rate, with 53.3 suicides per 100,000 workers. (Those in forestry, fishing and farming are most at risk, with 84.5 suicides per 100,000.)
The findings, published in the CDC’s July 1 “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,” came as no surprise to the Construction Financial Management Association. In the past year, the group of approximately 7,500 accountants, controllers, CFOs and HR professionals — some within the pool industry — has committed itself to eliminating self-inflicted deaths by promoting mental health services and encouraging construction firms to create cultures of care. Read more...
Suicide Prevention: A Health and Safety Priority for the Construction Industry
July 19, 2016 | By: Cal Beyer & Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas | Source: Construction Executive
When the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released its milestone report on occupation and suicide earlier this month, many construction industry leaders took notice.
For the first time, researchers were able to rank industries by highest rates and the largest numbers of deaths by suicide across 17 states. Construction was ranked number two for highest rates of suicide and number one for highest numbers.
WHY IS THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY SUICIDE RATE SO HIGH?
Two reasons for the high suicide rate are the workforce and the nature of the work. Read more...
CDC: Construction has second-highest suicide rate across all industries
July 7, 2016 | By: Kim Slowey | Source: Construction Dive
In its report, using 2012 data from 17 states (12,312 total suicides), the CDC said that construction workers might be more susceptible to suicide because of the unstable nature of employment, which causes financial and relationship problems as well as isolation.
In an acknowledgment of how high the suicide risk is in the construction industry, the CDC said that the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (NAASP) has developed special assistance programs for those workers.
In February, The Carson J. Spencer Foundation, in cooperation with the NAASP and RK Mechanical in Denver, announced that it had published a construction industry suicide prevention guidebook to help executives in the business identify risk factors. The guidebook explains how contractors make mental health a priority through open discussion of topics considered sensitive to construction workers. Read more...
Suicide Rates by Occupational Group — 17 States, 2012
July 1, 2016 | Source: CDC
In 2012, approximately 40,000 suicides were reported in the United States, making suicide the 10th leading reported cause of death for persons aged ≥16 years (1). From 2000 to 2012, rates of suicide among persons in this age group increased 21.1%, from 13.3 per 100,000 to 16.1 (1). To inform suicide prevention efforts, CDC analyzed suicide by occupational group, by ascribing occupational codes to 12,312 suicides in 17 states in 2012 from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) (2). The frequency of suicide in different occupational groups was examined, and rates of suicide were calculated by sex and age group for these categories. Persons working in the farming, fishing, and forestry group had the highest rate of suicide overall (84.5 per 100,000 population) and among males (90.5); the highest rates of suicide among females occurred among those working in protective service occupations (14.1). Overall, the lowest rate of suicide (7.5) was found in the education, training, and library occupational group. Suicide prevention approaches directed toward persons aged ≥16 years that enhance social support, community connectedness, access to preventive services, and the reduction of stigma and barriers to help-seeking are needed. Read more...
Training – “Utah is supporting Working Minds suicide prevention training for workplaces across the state.
June 21, 2016 | By: Dave McCann | Source: KSLTVEnterprise Team
Leave your personal life at home. That is how most employers and businesses operate. But the Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition wants more people to be willing to break that office taboo and ask tough questions about mental health that could potentially save a life. Dave McCann reports.
A Surge in Suicides
Addressing mental health issues on the job is the new imperative
June 2016 | By: Cal Beyer and Bob Vandepol | Source: ISHN
Recent data highlights a surge in suicide rates in the United States to its highest levels in decades. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the overall suicide rate rose by 24 percent between 1999 and 2014. Suicide deaths increased from 29,199 in 1999 to 42,773 in 2014. Suicide rates for men and women aged 45-64 increased by 43 percent and 63 percent, respectively. Men still account or almost 80 percent of the total number of suicides in the United States.
Business case for addressing mental health
Behavioral health disorders are of similar magnitude to physical disorders such as diabetes and heart disease. Statistics shared by Screening for Mental Health, Inc. include… Read more...
Suicide and Mental Health Issues—Unspoken Topics in the Construction Biz
June 16, 2016 | By: Lauren Elkies Schram | Source: Commercial Observer
(PHOTO: LISE GAGNE)
Last year, an ironworker named Gary Russo, dubbed the “Second Avenue Sinatra” by the tabloids for singing karaoke during his lunch breaks while working on the Second Avenue subway line, took his own life.
If you saw him perform or read about him five years ago, this news might have come as a shock; one can still find clips of Russo sweetly crooning “Summer Wind” on YouTube to passersby on the Upper East Side. But after he hung himself last August, it became clear that Russo had been growing ever more depressed over life circumstances, including a breakup.
This March, an electrician jumped from the 53rd floor of a Los Angeles construction site. Joseph Sabbatic, who worked two days on the job, had reportedly been depressed and was looking for a stable career when he died.
Joseph Patti, the vice president and chief financial officer of Welsbach Electric Corp. in College Point, N.Y., recalls someone he knew who was facing a layoff in six months’ time and fell off the bridge of a site near the Washington Bridge while doing a steel inspection. “My suspicion was it was a suicide,” Patti said. “He had family issues.” Then there was a construction worker in a bad way that Patti thought was contemplating killing himself, whom he gave a suicide-prevention book that helped the worker get on a more positive track. Read more...
First Regional Suicide Prevention Summit for the Construction Industry
May/June 2016 Issue | By: Cal Beyer & Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas | Source: CFMA Building Profits
On April 7, 2016, CFMA’s Valley of the Sun Chapter presented the inaugural Suicide Prevention Summit, a collaboration between members of the construction industry and mental health professionals to discuss suicide prevention for the construction industry. Designed for construction industry CEOs, CFOs, HR professionals, and safety and risk managers, the event provided a wealth of knowledge and resources to more than 100 industry professionals.“National data shows that men are four times more likely to die by suicide than women, and Arizona’s numbers mirror this statistic,” explained Sandra McNally of EMPACT-Suicide Prevention Center. “It is wonderful to see the construction industry’s concern about the issue of suicide in their field.”
Speaking Out About Suicide
Cal Beyer, Director of Risk Management at Lakeside Industries and Executive Committee member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, lauded, “The overwhelming support from sponsors and the strong participation by contractors reinforces that the time has come for this topic. Great strides have been made in breaking the wall of silence around mental health and suicide prevention. Contractors want to learn how to build a caring culture to help their employees get the assistance they need to cope with life struggles. I’ve never been more proud to be a CFMA member.”
Summit attendees heard personal stories of loss, participated in a panel discussion, connected with community mental health professionals, and took away resources to help promote mental health and suicide prevention as part of their companies’ overall wellness initiatives. Read more...
What Construction Workers Could Teach Other Industries About Mental Health Awareness
May 21, 2016 | By: Amy Morin | Source: Forbes
In the 14 years since I started my career as a psychotherapist, I’ve seen some shifts in the way society views mental health. Slowly, the stigma attached to mental illness seems to be decreasing. And each year during the month of May–Mental Health Awareness Month–I’m always happy to learn about organizations and industries who are working hard to promote workplace mental health.
Although the construction industry may be about the last place you’d expect workers to talk about depression or anxiety, they’re becoming industry leaders in mental health awareness. They’re doing some incredible work to reduce the stigma attached to mental health and they’re saving lives. Read more...
Why Construction Leaders Must Address Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
May 18, 2016 | By: Cal Beyer & Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas | Source: Construction Executive
Suicide rates have climbed to a 30-year high, with almost 43,000 cases reported in 2015. Construction has long been recognized as a high-risk industry for suicide. There are industry and demographic risk factors that intersect to make the construction workforce a vulnerable at-risk group.
To help mitigate this risk, organizations including the Carson. J. Spencer Foundation and National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention developed the Construction Industry Blueprint for Suicide Prevention in the Workplace. Following is how FNF, Inc., a Tempe, Ariz.-based heavy/highway contractor, is using the blueprint to manage mental health and the risk of suicide in construction. Read more...
Suicide Prevention in the Construction Industry
Why and How Lendlease Weaves Mental Health into Social Sustainability and Safety
April/May 2016 Issue | By: Cal Beyer & Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas | Source: The NAWIC Image
Suicide is a tragic social epidemic. There were almost 43,000 suicides in 2014 in the United States, which far exceeds the number of deaths from vehicle crashes. Suicide is an equal opportunity killer; the pain and devastation of suicide cuts across the spectrum of society. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), suicide is the tenth leading cause of death among Americans regardless of age. The CDC ranks suicide as the second leading cause of death among males 25-54 years of age.
Why Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Matters in the Construction Industry
The construction industry consistently ranks as one of the high-risk industries for suicide in the United States. The construction industry has embedded risk factors such as the “tough guy” culture, chronic pain and relatively high rates of illicit and prescription drug use. In addition, there are demographic risk factors among the predominantly male workforce as well. According to CNA Insurance in a 2015 special report titled Construction Prescription Opioid Abuse, the construction industry is among the highest in terms of prescription opioid use. The New York Times reported in 2015 that between 1999-2014, there was a 22 percent increased mortality for white, middle-aged males between the ages of 45-54 years of age attributable to suicide, substance abuse and alcohol abuse. Read more...
Phoenix Summit Focuses on Preventing Suicide in the Construction Industry
April 14, 2016 | By: John Guzzon | Source: ENR Southwest
In an attempt to shatter the mental health stigma that plagues so many individuals at work and at home, the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) Valley of the Sun Chapter organized a half-day "Suicide Prevention Summit" at the Phoenix Country Club on April 7. The first ever stateside, the summit brought together construction industry CEOs, CFOs, Human Resource Professionals and Safety and Risk Managers in an effort to prevent suicide and bring awareness to the ongoing, often silent struggles of men in the workforce.
With a keynote speech by Sally Spencer, the event brought to light some surprising statistics about suicide, including that the construction industry ranked in the top nine industries at risk for suicide. Read more...
Phoenix Summit Focuses on Preventing Suicide in the Construction Industry
April 2016 | By: Clare Miller | Source: Partnership for Workplace Mental Health
RK, a Denver-based mechanical contracting, manufacturing and service company, understands that mental health is everyone’s business. RK’s work to promote mental health awareness was recently featured in Constructor Magazine, an important trade publication from the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America, the largest construction industry association.
The construction industry is among the top nine occupations with the highest risk for suicide (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009). The industry’s workforce demographics, including gender, age and educational level, combined with a “tough-guy culture” and a tendency to view mental health problems as personal weaknesses, all contribute to high rates of untreated mental illnesses and suicide.
RK, the Carson J Spencer Foundation, and the National Alliance for Suicide Prevention developed a resource for the industry called the Construction Industry Blueprint: Suicide Prevention in the Workplace. RK Marketing and Communications Director, Heather Gallien, contends that the Construction Industry Blueprint is a call-to-action for industry leaders to take a stand for their employees’ wellbeing, “Skilled trade workers are primarily males, and in this industry especially, they’re not accustomed to talking about their internal state. Industry leaders can support their mental and emotional wellbeing by letting them know that it’s OK to discuss their personal concerns with their co-workers or supervisor. A culture that supports emotional openness has much higher odds of being able to help its employees.” Read More...