Construction leaders form executive council on suicide prevention | Construction Dive

Some of the biggest names in the industry have created a group to meet quarterly on how to improve mental health offerings.

The suicide death rate for construction workers was more than double the nationwide rate (46.1 vs. 19.5 per 100,000 full time employees) in 2022, and five times as many construction workers died by suicide than in at-work fatalities that year, the most recently available set of data.

When CEO Brendan Bechtel announced the company’s pledge to the AFSP — the largest in the foundation’s history — he described the statistics around suicide in construction as “shameful.”

With the donation, the AFSP seeks to reach half a million construction workers over the next five years through industry-specific programs and resources aimed to increase awareness of suicide and mental health outreach.

The council itself will meet quarterly to evaluate current mental health programs, identify gaps in support and design new initiatives to address the needs of construction professionals. Efforts will include enhanced training programs, awareness campaigns and improved access to health resources.

“Just like with worksite safety, nothing is proprietary when it comes to saving lives,” Bechtel said in the release. “The more we can engage a broad group of leaders and collaborate on solutions, the more effective we will be in providing our people the support they need. We owe it to them, to our colleagues, and to their families to find solutions and prevent these tragedies.”

The founding members of the council are: