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...