Most-recent data shows the suicide rate among the U.S. working age population (persons aged 16–64 years) jumped 34%. The U.S Center for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed suicide deaths by Standard Occupational Classification and found the highest male suicide rate in construction and extraction. In fact, construction has among the highest suicide rates of any sector in the world – up to 3.5 times the U.S. national average and ranks as the No. 1 industry for deaths by suicide.
Isolation, uncertainty and a “culture of toughness” are some of the top factors contributing to these rates. One of the best ways to support safety and improve mental health on the job site is to empower construction workers to watch over one another and to learn how to address the problem. But not all construction teams have an easy way to train their entire workforce. That’s where MindForge is trying to help.
MindForge, an education and communication platform for construction teams, is working to increase awareness of mental health and suicide prevention on construction sites by partnering with Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP) and LivingWorks.
“Suicide is an epidemic in our industry, and now is the time for the construction industry to expand their traditional safety programs to include employee mental health,” says Greg Sizemore, chair of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention. “Equipping and empowering our workforce to recognize the risks and warning signs of someone that might be having suicidal thoughts must be a priority. Taking a STAND to communicate and train your workforce on suicide awareness and prevention is an important part of helping decrease the risk among the construction industry.”
- MindForge is offering CIASP’s six-part Suicide Prevention video series for free and distributing information on LivingWork’s paid content to its customers in honor of National Suicide Prevention Week.
- The CIASP content will be provided to all of MindForge’s customers at no cost in order to support the company’s mission of achieving zero construction deaths on any job site.
“Often when we think about suicide, the professions with the highest rates of PTSD come to mind such and military and police. But what most don't know is that construction suicides are far higher,” says Rick Trimp, president of LivingWorks. “And that's why this collaboration between LivingWorks, MindForge, Jordan Foster and CIASP is so important. Together we can promote mental health and well-being and create suicide safer construction workplaces."
The group piloted this initiative with MindForge’s partner, Jordan Foster Construction, and 61% of their upper-level staff is already trained on suicide awareness.
“The MindForge partnership complements our Total Worker Health initiative. Jordan Foster’s goal is to make sure we provide cutting-edge training and education to our field associates,” says Tricia Kagerer, executive vice president of risk management with the Texas general contractor. “Mental well-being is a hidden, deadly risk. The MindForge partnership is just one more way we can do our part to protect our associates. We are proud to be at the forefront of this important initiative.”
“Our goal at MindForge is to build a platform that improves communication and learning among construction teams,” says Stokes McIntyre, president of MindForge. “We’re proud to be able to use our platform to distribute life-saving information from CIASP and LivingWorks and help raise awareness about suicide risk in the construction industry.”
