WHY CONSTRUCTION LEADERS MUST ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH AND SUICIDE PREVENTION

By: Cal Beyer & Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas

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...

FIRST REGIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION SUMMIT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

By: Cal Beyer & Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas

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.” Read More

SUICIDE PREVENTION IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

By: Cal Beyer & Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas

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. Read more...

PHOENIX SUMMIT FOCUSES ON PREVENTING SUICIDE IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

By: John Guzzon

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...

A NEW IMPERATIVE FOR SAFETY

By: Cal Beyer, Bob Swanson & Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas

Source: Construction Business Owner

Over the past decade, the  construction industry has made strong strides in improving safety management.  Safety is now broadly defined as a core value throughout the industry. There is an increasing focus on chang­ing safety culture, attaining zero incidents and monitoring key safety performance metrics. An emphasis on the workforce and behavioral safety initiatives challenge business owners to widen what it means to value health and safety. Many companies talk about workers applying safety practices 24/7, going beyond work to include their families at home and during off-hour, recreational activities. Yet the focus on safety at home remains largely concen­trated on physical aspects and precau­tions relating to safety performance. This includes buckling up and driving defensively, wearing protective safety gear and using ladders safely. However, based on industry risk factors and social demo­graphics, the construction workforce and their families need a more holistic safety approach that encompasses mental health and suicide prevention. An industry initia­tive addressing mental health and suicide prevention is ushering in a new frontier for safety. Starting with the publication of the "Blueprint for Suicide Prevention in the Construction Industry," there is a call to link mental health and suicide prevention with safety culture. It is no longer suffi­cient to get workers home safe each night. For at-risk workers, it is just as important to get employees back to work safely, too. Likewise, it is important to provide employees with resources and services to help them provide adequate awareness, advocacy and intervention if family members need help. Unfortunately, too many business owners have faced the tragedy of losing an employee to suicide. The death of a co-worker from suicide often carries a unique burden of grief and trauma that spreads throughout the workplace.   Read more...

PHOENIX SUMMIT FOCUSES ON PREVENTING SUICIDE IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

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...

SUICIDE PREVENTION IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

By: Marla McIntyre

According to A Construction Industry Blueprint: Suicide Prevention in the Workplace, the construction industry is in the top nine occupations at risk of suicide.

While men in construction have four times the suicide rate than women, women in construction and extraction had the highest suicide rate when compared with other occupations. Read more...

A NEW NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP AIMS TO REDUCE NUMBER OF CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY SUICIDES

By: Jennifer Seward

Construction ranks among the top nine occupations with the highest risk for suicide, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"Demanding physical work, coupled with the stresses of seasonal employment and minimal access to mental health care, often create a workforce vulnerable to mental health challenges like depression, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts," says leading suicide-prevention expert Sally Spencer-Thomas.  She is CEO and co-founder of the Carson J. Spencer Foundation, a Colorado-based nonprofit that is finding innovative ways to make suicide prevention a priority in the workplace. 

"Everybody knows someone affected by suicide," says Cal Beyer, director of risk management for asphalt paving company Lakeside Industries in Issaquah, Wash.  "It's a real, everyday occurrence [that has typically been] swept under the carpet because nobody wants to talk about it."  Read more...

A CALL FOR HELP

By: Cal Beyer & Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas

"Be vocal, be visible, be visionary.  There is no shame in stepping forward, but there is great risk in holding back and just hoping for the best." 

This quote came from a group of college presidents in the 1990s who were attempting to proactively address substance abuse issues when no other campuses were. Other leaders wor­ried about how their constituents might view them if they were the first ones to voice their concerns. It took bold leadership to stand up and say, "Not another life to lose."

Today, the construction industry is seeing the same momen­tum, but the issue is suicide prevention. Increasingly, leaders are stepping forward and changing culture with a new vision and a set of best practices.  Read more...

CONTRACTORS GRAPPLE WITH EMPLOYEE SUICIDE RISK

By: Katie Kuehner-Hebert

Though it may come as a surprise to some, the construction industry is among the top nine occupations with the highest risk for suicide, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Today, the construction industry is seeing the same momen­tum, but the issue is suicide prevention. Increasingly, leaders are stepping forward and changing culture with a new vision and a set of best practices. 

“The construction industry tends employ a lot of what we call “double jeopardy men” — men with a number of suicide risk factors who are also the least likely to see help on their own,” said Sally Spencer-Thomas, co-founder and chief executive of the Carson J Spencer Foundation in Denver.

The foundation, in partnership with Denver construction firm RK Mechanical Inc. and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, in September jointly released a suicide prevention guide, “A Construction Industry Blueprint: Suicide Prevention in the Workplace.” 

“Employers are learning to make suicide prevention a priority within their health and safety initiatives,” Spencer-Thomas said. “In shifting from reaction to prevention, company leaders become far more proactive in providing skill-based training, linking distressed employees to helpful resources, are creating a culture of care.”  Read more...

WORKPLACE SUICIDE PREVENTION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF PUBLISHED AND UNPUBLISHED ACTIVITIES

By: Allison Milner, Kathryn Page, Sally Spencer-Thomas & Anthony D. Lamotagne

There are a number of published studies on workplace suicide prevention activities, and an even larger number of activities that are not reported on in academic literature. The aim of this review was to provide a systematic assessment of workplace suicide prevention activities, including short-term training activities, as well as suicide prevention strategies designed for occupational groups at risk of suicide. The search was based on Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) Guidelines. The databases used for the searches were the Cochrane Trials Library and PubMed. A range of suicide prevention websites were also searched to ascertain the information on unpublished workplace suicide prevention activities. Key characteristics of retrieved studies were extracted and explained, including whether activities were short-term training programmes or developed specifically for occupations at risk of suicide. There were 13 interventions relevant for the review after exclusions. There were a few examples of prevention activities developed for at-risk occupations (e.g. police, army, air force and the construction industry) as well as a number of general awareness programmes that could be applied across different settings. Very few workplace suicide prevention initiatives had been evaluated. Results from those that had been evaluated suggest that prevention initiatives had beneficial effects. Suicide prevention has the potential to be integrated into existing workplace mental health activities. There is a need for further studies to develop, implement and evaluate workplace suicide prevention programmes.  Read more...