MENTAL HEALTH
ONE CONVERSATION AT A TIME
Saving lives in the construction industry
By Deb Draper
People working in construction have the highest rate and the
highest number of suicides across all occupational groups
in the U.S. When the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
revealed these disturbing statistics in 2016, the Construction
Financial Management Association (CFMA) decided to take
action, forming the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide
Prevention (CIASP) with the mission to promote mental health
wellness and raise awareness about suicide prevention – the goal
was to make a real difference.
Aiming to bring the entire construction industry together to
address suicide as a health and safety priority, CIASP initiated the
STAND up for suicide prevention program: Safe cultures, Training,
Awareness, Normalizing conversations and Decreasing risks.
Contractors, unions, associations, industry service providers and
project owners are all challenged to work together do something
about these unacceptable and preventable statistics.
Pledging to take a new look at health and safety
“We realized we needed to get the message to all stakeholders
in the construction industry today. Each of these different
entities has a role to play,” said Michelle Walker, outgoing CIASP
chair and VP finance and administration, Specialized Services
Company (SSC). “That’s when we created the Pledge, something
that gives an outline of what to do, a way to STAND behind
suicide prevention.”
Walker explains that by taking the pledge, a company is
publicly stating that they are prioritizing their employees’ total
wellness, not just their physical but also their mental and
emotional safety and wellbeing.
“The pledge is just a formalization of taking this STAND,” she
said. “We don’t ask anything of them. We hope that they integrate
the resources and tools that we promote into their organization
and take those STAND-up principles to heart. There is no
requirement in any way.”
“So far we’ve had about 200 stakeholders participating,” said
Greg Sizemore, incoming CIASP chair and VP, HSE and workforce
development at Associated Builders and Contractors. “The
developer/owner community is also getting strongly involved,
many encouraging their contractors to take the pledge as part of
a health and safety condition.
“It’s a place to start, acknowledging a commitment to doing
something. Ignoring it is not an action. Hoping it goes away is not
a strategy. I believe the pledge both physically and psychologically
encourages the construction community to answer the call to
action, and they can visit our website to see a list of their peers
that have already made the commitment and taken the pledge.
“For decades now, we have focused on the physical safety of
employees in our industry,” said Sizemore. “And we’ve done a
great job in this space, but we have not spent the time or energy
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