Construction Industry Leaders Gather to Solve Mental Health Challenges

Construction Working Minds Summit to be held May 17 & 18 in Denver, Colorado

 Colorado. April 7, 2022. Approximately 1,000 construction workers each year die on the job. This is why jobsite safety is such a priority in construction. What most industry leaders don’t realize, however, is that over 5,000 construction workers died by suicide each year as well. Knowing this data, many construction organizations are moving beyond basic mental health awareness programs and building comprehensive strategies for suicide prevention and mental health promotion. Today, the United Suicide Survivors International and the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP) announce the inaugural “Construction Working Minds Summit” to be held May 17 & 18 in Denver, Colorado. More: https://www.constructionworkingminds.org/summit

“We are thrilled to bring the early adopters of the mental health movement in construction together to learn from each other and build a robust and coordinated vision for the future,” said Sally Spencer-Thomas, President of United Survivors and Co-Chair for the event.

Keynote speakers include:

• Cal Beyer, Co-Chair for the event and early advocate for construction mental health awareness. He will be talking about lessons learned from "Catalyzing and Unleashing a Movement."

• Jorgen Gullestrup, Founder of MATES in Construction will be joining in-person coming from Brisbane, Australia to talk about his journey from plumber to suicidologist.

• Brent Darnell who will share actionable steps on how to approach safety and mental health using human connection and emotional intelligence.

“This is the inaugural national mental health promotion and suicide prevention summit for the construction industry after approximately 25 regional and local summits have been held across the country since 2016,” said Cal Beyer, VP, Workforce Risk and Worker Wellbeing with Holmes Murphy and Co-Chair of the Summit. “We’re excited to see the momentum of this movement ripple through the construction industry. We’re grateful for all sponsoring organizations, speakers and panelists, and attendees for making this event a success and for furthering this cause. Together we can save lives!”

“Safety includes total human health—emotional, social, mental, intellectual, financial, occupational and spiritual wellness—and we must continue to raise the bar in mental health for the construction workforce of more than 7.5 million,” emphasized Greg Sizemore,  Vice President Workforce Development Safety Health and Environmental for Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and Chairman of the CIASP. “Our people are our greatest asset, and the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention is proud to collaborate with the United Suicide Survivors International to address suicide in the construction industry. Together we can raise awareness about suicide prevention by normalizing conversations around mental health, equipping and empowering our industry to understand total human health and prioritizing mental health as an essential component of any safety culture.”

Several awards will be given to organizations and individuals in the industry for their “vocal, visible and visionary” leadership including:

• Mental Health Visionaries Award

  • Company Category: Hensel Phelps

  • Union Category: Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation (SMART) & Sheet Metal Occupational Health Trust (SMOHIT)

  • Trade Association Category (National): Construction Financial Management Association

  • Trade Association Chapter or Regional Organization Category: Construction Suicide Prevention Partnership of Portland, Oregon

• Shining Light through Media Award: Engineering News-Record (ENR)

• Academic and/or Applied Research Award: Dr. Jodi Jacobson Frey, University of Maryland

• Mental Health Champion: Eli Baccus, Strategic Leadership, Develop Dynamic Solutions, Trained Workforce, Director Partnership Development, SMART 33

Register by May 1st to receive the early bird discounted cost of $75 per Summit registration, after which the cost increases. Registration includes breakfast and lunch.

You can register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/253728176807

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 About the United Suicide Survivors International, Inc. (501c3)

United Suicide Survivors International (founded 2016) is an independent international membership organization that serves as a home for people who have experienced suicide loss, suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts and feelings, and their friends and families -- collectively known as people with lived experience with suicide – to leverage their expertise for large scale change. We envision a world where lived expertise becomes the fulcrum that leverages all suicide prevention efforts. We put the lived expertise of suicide attempt and loss survivors into action through leadership, collaboration and advocacy. www.UniteSurvivors.org

About the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention

The Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP) was born out of necessity in response to a statistics released in a CDC study ranking construction as the #1 industry for deaths by suicide. Established by the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) in 2016 to shatter the stigma surrounding mental health issues, CIASP became a stand alone 501(c)(3) organization in 2018 to raise awareness about suicide prevention and provide resources and tools to create a zero suicide industry by uniting and supporting the construction community. CIASP is dedicated to changing the statistics by educating and equipping organizations, industry service providers and construction professionals to "STAND Up" for suicide prevention and address it as a health and safety priority. https://preventconstructionsuicide.com/