News (Page 4)
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A New Imperative for Safety
Linking mental health & suicide prevention with a culture of safety.
April 2016 Issue | 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...
Suicide Prevention in the Construction Industry
March 23, 2016 | By: Marla McIntyre | Source: Construction Executive
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.
The report cites:
toolbox talks;
what to say to someone who may be suicidal;
recommendations for suicide prevention and resources.
industry risk factors;
a workplace checklist;
warning signs;
how to create awareness of suicide on the job site;
The report was produced by the Carson J Spencer Foundation in partnership with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention.
On April 7, 2016, the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) Valley of the Sun Chapter will host a “Suicide Prevention Summit” in Phoenix. This half-day collaboration between construction and mental health professionals will explore suicide prevention for the construction industry. Read more...
A New National Partnership Aims to Reduce Number of Construction Industry Suicides
A national partnership of industry leaders and suicide-prevention experts launches an initiative to save lives.
February 16, 2016 | By: Jennifer Seward | Source: ENR
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
Promoting Mental Health Awareness in the Construction Industry
January/February 2016 Issue | By: Cal Beyer & Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas | Source: Constructor Magazine
"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.
WHY SHOULD CONSTRUCTION LEADERS CARE ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND SUICIDE PREVENTION?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry often lands among the top 10 industries at risk for suicide. Multiple demographic factors contribute to this including gender, age, and the educational level of the construction workforce. A recent medical study highlights the rising mortality rates of middle-aged males (aged 45-541 without a college education which constitutes a large portion of construction's aging workforce in both the skilled and unskilled trades. Moreover, industry risk factors include the male-dominated workforce with a tough-guy culture which reinforces reluctance among employees to reach out when their mental health is compromised. Thus, many treatable mental health conditions like depression, anxiety and substance abuse are going undiagnosed until they progress to catastrophic outcomes. Add to this the family and social isolation, sleep disruption and chronic pain often associated with field construction work, and many workers find themselves self-medicating with alcohol or becoming addicted to pain medication. Read more...
Contractors Grapple With Employee Suicide Risk
The Construction industry is increasingly incorporating suicide prevention measures within health and safety programs.
November 4, 2015 | By: Katie Kuehner-Hebert | Source: riskandinsurance.com
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
February 13, 2015 | By: Allison Milner, Kathryn Page, Sally Spencer-Thomas & Anthony D. Lamotagne | Source: Oxford Journals
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...