The New Frontier in Worker Safety: Mental Wellness and Suicide Prevention

As a contractor, partnering is a critical element to our daily operations. One such key partnering relationship is with our insurance broker and carrier. We work together tirelessly to assure our work zones are safe, our people are trained in safety protocols and proper resources are available to allow them to return safely to their families. This zero accident mentality has found a partner as well, zero suicides!

The human and financial impacts of an injured worker can be mirrored or often eclipsed when a suicide death is experienced in our workforce.

On July 1, 2016, the Center for Disease Control released a report identifying suicide deaths by industry. At 53.3 deaths per 100,000 employees, Construction/Extraction ranked No. 2 in suicide deaths. Only the industry group of farming/fishing/forestry ranked higher at 84.5.per 100,000. However, construction/extraction was No. 1 in actual deaths by suicide, as our industry has a higher workforce count.

Why Construction?

Why construction? Look no further than many of the same industry issues that impact workers when we develop safety protocols and analyze what puts workers at risk for injuries on the job site. Those issues include:

• Long hours, sleep shortage, inconsistent sleep patterns
• Hard physical labor, fatigue, chronic pain
• Job pressures, budgets, schedule, relationship challenges with owners and up/down chain contractors
• Tough guy mentality
• Alcohol and drug abuse
• Seasonal work layoffs.

Imagine a worker in family crisis or suffering from depression, and contemplating suicide. How safe will they be on your job? How safe are their co-workers? How productive will they be? These questions, and their obvious answers, reflect the linkage between zero accidents and zero suicides.

Workers in distress often display warning signs. The key for concerned co-workers is to spot the signs, and communicate available resources. A worker may exhibit behaviors out of character with their past, such as drinking or drugs, acting anxious or agitated, showing rage or revenge or extreme mood swings. They may talk about wanting to die, or their family being better off if they were not around, or merely expressing feelings of hopelessness.

One of FNF’s operations officer states: “They need to know there is help out there and it takes more of a man to ask for help than to run and hide from getting help.”

Beginning the Dialogue

So, where does a construction company begin? By breaking the silence and creating a caring culture.

Company leaders must learn to speak openly and candidly about the risks of suicide among their employees and their families.

Construction companies can promote awareness through company newsletters, posters in the office and at job sites and by establishing an Employee Assistance Program.

James is the chief financial officer for FNF Construction Inc., a heavy highway contractor in Tempe, Ariz. He is a member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention.

Topics Construction