It’s common knowledge that construction is one of the most dangerous industries, but there’s one form of danger that may be news to you.

Construction leads US industries in the number of suicides, and comes in second in suicide rates: 53.3 people per 100,000 workers.

It isn’t easy to pinpoint why the construction industry may have such a high suicide rate, but potential reasons include:

• Feelings of isolation on the job
• Employment that isn’t steady
• Poor sleep cycles
• Chronic pain caused by manual labor
• Work-related travel for extended periods of time
• Physical strain
• Access to means of committing suicide like high places
• Pressure
• Financial challenges
• Poor working conditions

Suicide Awareness and Suicide Prevention

Construction has been in the mental health spotlight since the Centers for Disease Control released a report on suicide rates across industries last year.

Now, with the start of Suicide Prevention Week, we wanted to draw attention to this issue as well.

The Construction Financial Management Association has established the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention to help support, inform, and educate the industry about the signs of suicide and suicide prevention.

This week would be a great time for your organization to take advantage of their free resources. Open a conversation with your team about mental health issues, and how to deal with stress and anxiety in healthful ways. Be sure everyone on your team is aware of the signs of suicide risk. And post the number of the National Suicide Hotline (1-800-273-TALK) in prominent locations, so your team is aware that help is just a phone call away.

Let’s work together to build a suicide-free industry.

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