How AGC is Fighting the Suicide Epidemic in the Construction Industry

As you may have seen in the news, AGC of America is launching a new effort to combat high suicide rates and improve mental health among the industry’s workers. The association is doing this because we cannot stand by while a silent epidemic of suicide takes place within our industry. Instead, we want to reduce the stigma of mental health issues in this industry, let people know it is okay to ask for help and, ultimately, save lives.

The scope of the problem is shockingly severe. There were 53.2 suicides per 100,000 workers compared to a national construction workplace fatality rate of 10.2 per 100,000 workers, according to the most recent federal safety data. That means a construction worker is five times as likely to die by suicide than workplace safety hazards.

As part of this new effort, we are filming a series of video public service announcements (PSAs) featuring construction workers who almost succumbed to their mental health challenges. The workers in these videos will urge members of the construction industry to not be afraid to seek help.

In addition to the videos, which we will begin releasing in the fall, the Associated General Contractors is also launching a quarterly forum to share examples of successful mental health and suicide prevention efforts. We are also assembling a comprehensive collection of resources for construction companies and their workers about mental health and suicide prevention. Those resources will be available online, free of charge, to all construction firms.

The new effort is being coordinated by the association’s Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Task Force, which is comprised of construction professionals from across the country. The two of us chair this task force, but there are a host of members who bring an enormous amount of skill and experience to this issue.

We have a lot of good people on the task force, but we need every member to help. If you have a program that is helping address mental health challenges and addressing suicide prevention, share it with us so we can encourage other firms to use it. Spread the word about what you are doing and encourage your teams to join our quarterly updates. You can find the schedule for those updates at www.agc.org/mental-health-suicide-prevention.

We also need you to share those video PSAs with your entire teams as we release them. By the time you read this, the first batch should have arrived in your inbox. Help us share the message in those videos with the people on your team. And ultimately, don’t be afraid to ask someone on your team if they need help.

Ultimately, we believe that safety isn’t just about wearing the right protective equipment. It is about understanding you are not alone and that it is okay to ask for help. If members take away nothing else from our new effort than this idea, we are convinced we will make a difference.