Construction Suicide Prevention Week: Reduce the stigma around the mental health challenges in the construction industry

This week is Construction Suicide Prevention Week. The construction industry will dedicate a week to raising awareness about the unique challenges workers face in construction that lead to suicide and what we can do to prevent it. Together, we can save lives.

The rate of death by suicide for construction workers is nearly 5 times the rate of all other construction fatalities on the jobsite (Source: CPWR).  With more than 8 million (and rising) workers in the industry, we must focus on mental health in our workforce as we do on physical health.

The nature of construction work can contribute to increased risk of suicide. Frequent travel between job sites, long or irregular hours, and time away from family can lead to isolation, disrupted sleep, and physical and mental exhaustion.

LEAD raises awareness this week but also shines a positive light. This year’s theme for Construction Suicide Prevention Week is Building on Progress. Recent data from CPWR shows that suicide and drug-related death rates in construction have begun to decline.

Among construction workers aged 16-64, drug-related overdose deaths declined 28.8% from 2023 to 2024, decreasing from 15.9K to 11.3K. The overdose death rate fell from 135.0 to 94.8 per 100,000 workers.

Deaths by suicide dropped 1.7% from 2023 to 2024 (5.1K to 5.0K), and the suicide rate decreased from 43.2 to 41.9 per 100,000 workers.

The decrease is because the industry has taken steps:

• Education on the risks of prescribed opioids and opioids in general
• Widespread availability of naloxone on job sites and in public
• Decreased stigma around substance use and mental health disorders
• Improved treatment and recovery support in the construction industry

Thank you to these positive channels for educating:

In 2019, a mission-driven group of volunteers from across the construction industry came together to save lives. They collaborated to launch the inaugural Construction Suicide Prevention Week for the industry — a week dedicated to raising awareness about the higher-than-average number of suicides in the construction industry and to providing resources to help prevent those deaths.

www.constructionsuicideprevention.com/
www.constructionsuicideprevention.com/resources/

Hard Hat Courage is the construction industry’s collective commitment to save lives by making it safe to talk about our mental health—every day, on every jobsite.

Their mission is clear: to save lives across the construction industry by prioritizing our colleagues’ mental health just as much as their physical safety. They are equipping construction craft and industry professionals and their companies with the tools to take care of themselves and support each other.

www.hardhatcourage.com/
www.hardhatcourage.com/resources?tab=suicide-prevention-and-awareness

These organizations provide free resources (links above) for construction workers and employers to tackle this crisis, while working to reduce stigma around the mental health challenges impacting so many in the industry.

Building on Progress means building a culture where asking for support is seen as a sign of strength — not weakness. We build structures together, and we build people up the same way. Safety encompasses the whole person – including their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

The encouraging decline in suicide deaths reminds us that prevention efforts are making a difference. Continued progress will require a sustained commitment to reducing workplace injuries, strengthening jobsite culture, addressing bullying, expanding access to mental health resources, and ensuring every worker knows that asking for help is a sign of strength.

Join LEAD this month and help spread awareness, whether by sharing this blog or the resources above. Let’s keep the conversation going because you matter.

#SeptemberStandUp #SuicidePreventionMonth