MENTAL HEALTH
Risk-seeking and access to
lethal means
“We’re not born wanting to end our lives; that would be counterproductive
to the human species,” said Walker. “But by living
through dangerous situations or witnessing accidents, people get
desensitized to seeing people die or get hurt. This is a reason that
law enforcement or first responders are highly at risk for suicide.”
When you consider the construction industry, a project could
involve working at high heights, in deep trenches or around heavy
equipment, or in other environments that would make many people
feel uncomfortable.
“People who work in construction already have that sense
of risk-seeking and being comfortable with risk and dangerous
behaviors because they have to be in order to get the job done,”
said Walker. “But that can also go too far in somebody who has the
propensity and that capacity to take their own life.”
A job site also provides access to lethal means.
“We’ve heard stories of electrocutions that weren’t accidental
or falls from high places where everyone was tied off all shift, and
then someone was suddenly untied,” said Walker. Outside of work,
the demographics of the construction workforce also strongly correlate
with the demographics of gun ownership.
Chronic pain
Years of physical work and the natural wear and tear that comes
from a physical job, in addition to any potential workplace injuries,
can lead to chronic pain. For a person who feels that they may not
be able to continue doing their job, chronic pain can turn into a
sense of hopelessness.
“They may think, ‘I don’t have any other skills; this is all I know
how to do, and I physically can’t do it anymore,’” said Walker. “This
situation can lead to addiction, whether that be to opioids that
were possibly prescribed properly at the onset, or self-medication
either by alcohol or drugs to cope with the pain. Substance abuse
may also be a coping mechanism to someone dealing with an
untreated mental illness or a personal situation that they don’t
know how to manage. Substance abuse and the spiral that it can
create in a person’s life is a huge contributing factor for suicide.”
Identifying a person at risk
Noticing changes in a person’s behavior is the most effective way to
identify someone at risk of suicide.
“This is why there’s a need to create relationships and have a
little bit more of a consistent team aspect to crews and construction,”
said Walker.
However, there are some behaviors that anyone can watch for.
“Pay attention to somebody who acts anxious, agitated or
reckless, or if they’re increasing drug or alcohol use – they may be
self-medicating,” said Walker. “If someone is talking about feeling
trapped, wanting to die, being a burden, feeling hopeless – using
those words is not normal for someone to talk about.”
A person at risk may appear sad or depressed most of the time
or they may seem to experience extreme mood swings from day
to day. They might withdraw from groups and not want to be connected
to other people.
“These are more personal, but there are also definite signs
in the workplace that get misinterpreted as performance issues,”
said Walker.
Changed behaviors such as a decrease in problem-solving ability,
decreased self-confidence or productivity, or an increase in
absences or tardiness might indicate an issue. Starting conflicts
with co-workers or a change in safety performance with more
frequent near-miss accidents or injuries could be a warning sign.
“At least the question should be asked, ‘We’ve noticed these
things, is something going on?’” said Walker. “You can see the danger
in just addressing this with disciplinary action; ask somebody
what’s causing the change in their behavior.”
This is your problem
“If you think that you don’t have a problem with suicide or mental
health in your workplace, you’re probably wrong – you just don’t
know about it,” said Walker. “But you need to put a plan in place so
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