CONSTRUCTION SAFETY’S NEXT FRONTIER: SUICIDE PREVENTION

By: Cal Beyer

The construction industry is experiencing unprecedented attention to mental health and suicide prevention. Progressive contractors with leading safety, health and wellness programs are embracing mental health and suicide prevention as the next frontier in safety. The Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP) was born out of necessity.

As Sally Spencer-Thomas, Ph.D., discussed in her article, Build Protective Factors Against Mental Health Crises, Suicide Risk on page xx, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the first report on suicide by major occupational groupings in July of last year. The report revealed that the construction/extraction industry has the highest number of suicide deaths among major occupations. Specifically, the construction/extraction industry reports 53.3 suicide deaths per 100,000 employees.  Read more...