We want to talk about something not commonly spoken about in the construction or trades world.

Mental Health.

September is suicide prevention month.

It’s a subject that many people squirm at when mentioned. It’s one of the reasons we want to speak about it, though.

The construction industry as a whole has one of the highest suicide rates of any industry. To put it into perspective. 1,000 people die from onsite accidents every year. Over 5,000 in the construction industry die by suicide, though. Those numbers are staggering.

By speaking freely about mental health, we hope to shed light on a subject too long held in the dark. When you shed light, it affords others the opportunity to speak as well.

Suicide and mental health issues are medical issues. Although more serious in nature, speaking freely about mental health and suicide is in some ways no different than speaking about the flu, or breaking your arm. As a medical condition, suicide is no different than diabetes or heart disease. People die from these, but can also die from suicide.

When we start to speak about this as a medical condition as opposed to any other way, we can start to have more open conversations about it.

So why does the construction profession have a much higher than average suicide rate. There are a few reasons for it.

Stoic “tough guy” mentality - Many men have been taught that having mental health issues is a form of weakness. That couldn’t be any further from the truth. Great men like Abraham Lincoln, General William T. Sherman, Terry Bradshaw, and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson have all suffered from, and been through depression. In many ways, going through it is what made them as resilient and empathetic as they were.

  • Isolation factors such as the geographic nature of projects (being away from peer support like family and friends)
  • Chronic pain
    • Self medication - opioids
  • Complicated scheduling
    • Long, unusual shifts. Sometimes overnight or early mornings or late day shifts.
  • Potential for layoffs
    • The construction industry can often run seasonally is certain geographic areas
  • Alcohol and drug addiction
    • Very common with many of the challenges of the position and industry in general.
  • Extreme pressure of the job.
    • Many aspects of construction need to be perfect.
  • Promotion of managers without leadership training
    • Many in the field have a new found pressure of managing people without proper training.
  • Skill gap - feeling stuck
    • Many in the field don’t feel as though they have the proper skill set to move forward in their chosen profession, or any other. They have the feeling of being stagnant or stuck.
  • Access to mental health care.
    • Industry employers don’t often speak up about potential mental health issues, or supply easy access to proper medical care or resources for it.

So now that we know many of the causes of higher suicide rates within the construction industry, lets take a look at the Warning signs, and some courses of action about what can be done.

Suicide Warning Signs

  • Acting more agitated than usual.
  • Feeling trapped/wanting to die.
  • Appearing sad.
  • Roller coaster of emotions (happy/sad).
  • Extreme sleep patterns (too little or too much).
  • Job performance issues.
  • Decrease in problem solving.
  • Decrease in self confidence.
  • Decrease in productivity.
  • Increased conflict amongst co-workers.
  • Increased injuries/change in safety behavior.
  • People who are isolating more than usual.
  • Perceiving themselves to be a burden.

What To Do

Emphasize peer support. When employees feel as though they can speak freely with someone they work with, or a direct manager, employees feel more comfortable relaying their feelings about what they may be going through.

Address the elephant in the room. Talk freely about suicide, depression, and mental health in general. Let employees know they are not alone, and there is help readily available if needed.

Ask. Directly, and calmly ask: “Are you thinking about killing yourself?” This bold question is the right thing to ask, if you feel the person may actually be considering suicide.

Two other effective methods are the TASC and ALEC systems:

TASC

  • Tune in - sense if someone is at risk
  • Ask - Are you doing ok?
  • State - Are you thinking about killing yourself?
  • Connect - connect the person to the right resources.

ALEC

  • Are you ok? - Ask them. Are they doing alright?
  • Listen - Take the time to listen to someone who may be experiencing
  • Encourage - Motivate and discuss getting help for this person.
  • Connect - connect the person to the right resources.

If you do discover someone may be having intrusive thoughts, remove all judgment and speak calmly. Remember, you don’t have to be the one with the answers. Be familiar with resources at hand, and they can help and guide.

Suicide hotline:

  • 800 273 8255 (talk)
  • 988

Crisis text line

  • 741741

Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention: https://www.preventconstructionsuicide.com/​

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: https://afsp.org/​

I’ll leave you with some other things that are helpful:

Create a caring culture within your workplace, where coworkers or employees can feel valued, and can speak honestly.

Share stories of hope and encouragement. People experiencing suicidal thoughts are not the first ones to ever do so, and those who have, have been able to gain the help they needed and to live happy, productive lives.

Create second or last chance programs for those who may have suffered from past substance abuse issues.

Lastly, train your Field Managers to handle conflict well, keep their eyes open for any signs of mental health issues, and empower employees to be able to speak freely, without ridicule or other negative ramifications associated with depression.

We’d love your feedback. If this blog struck a chord with you, let us know. Send us a line at info@reddogsroofing.com.

Red Dog’s Roofing is a local, community focused roofing company based out of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, who have provided exterior remodeling solutions for more than 12 years. Their newest initiative is supplying guidance to the next generation of tradespeople by offering resources, encouragement, and solutions to make them more empowered choices in their careers and in their lives.