CONSTRUCTION WORKERS HAVE HIGHEST RATE OF SUICIDE AMONG AMERICAN WORKERS

By: Kim Slowey

Dive Brief:  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its Nov. 16 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report identified construction and extraction as the occupational group with the highest rate of male suicide among American workers. The CDC based its conclusion on data from 17 states and the 2012 and 2015 National Violent Death Reporting System.

The construction and extraction group's rate of suicide per 100,000 civilian non-institutionalized workers was 43.6 in 2012 (1,009 total workers) and 53.2 in 2015 (1,248 total workers). In comparison and reflective of the relatively small number of women in construction and extraction, the number of female workers who committed suicide in 2012 was nine and then 14 in 2015.  Read more...

PART 2: A HIDDEN EPIDEMIC: HOW SUICIDE PREVENTION EFFORTS CAN TRANSFORM CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY CULTURE

By: Emily Peiffer

Construction's high suicide rates and the importance of prevention efforts are just beginning to reach the radar of industry leaders, but the path to achieving that awareness was long and arduous amid obstacles of stigma and lack of awareness. However, with a newfound prevalence in the mainstream industry consciousness, some businesses are starting to transform their company culture and offer employee resources to drive change. Read More

PART 1: A HIDDEN EPIDEMIC: CONSTRUCTION SUICIDE DATA DRAWS INDUSTRY CRISIS INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

By: Emily Reiffer

One afternoon in 2014, a distressed and despondent RK Mechanical employee gave away his tools to his coworkers. Looking back, managers realized he was saying goodbye. They didn't realize it soon enough.

Later that night, the worker killed himself.

"Nobody was really prepared to notice it, acknowledge it, deal with it, or ask him what was wrong," RK Director of Marketing and Communications Heather Gallien said. "It was an instance that could've been averted had staff been better prepared." Read More

CDC: CONSTRUCTION HAS SECOND-HIGHEST SUICIDE RATE ACROSS ALL INDUSTRIES

By: Kim Slowey

n 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...