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Construction Industry Takes ACTION through Suicide Prevention Training

May 5, 2022 | 
Mental Health Awareness Month
This week is Construction Safety Week – and our partners are weaving suicide prevention and mental health into the culture of safety in the construction industry.

In 2019, construction companies, labor organizations, insurance companies, and other community and government partners joined forces with Lines for Life to form the Construction Suicide Prevention Partnership (CSPP). The CSPP has quickly grown to over 100 members, who are all dedicated to taking ACTION – reducing suicide and improving mental health within the construction industry.

The construction industry has the second-highest suicide rate of any industry in the United States – a suicide rate 3 times the national average. CSPP are part of a national effort to change this dynamic and improve the lives of construction professionals.

While Lines for Life provides suicide prevention training and technical support to our partners, it’s the CSPP that is taking ACTION, applying these concepts, skills, and strategies in ways that are most effective for reducing suicide and promoting mental wellness in the construction industry.

“Our mission is to get rid of the stigma of mental illness. We want to talk about it, we want to let everybody know it’s okay to talk about what you’re feeling and that there is help. We want to implement that into safety culture, just like we would with our hard hats and our goggles. We want workers to say something when they can tell a coworker is struggling, or if they’re struggling themselves.”

Natalie Cordova of Marsh & Construction Suicide Prevention Partnership

 
In late April, CSPP members presented at the American Association of Suicidology Conference in Chicago. Their presentation, Building a New Paradigm in Suicide Prevention with the Construction Industry, provides background on the challenges construction professionals face and highlights the strategies and materials the Partnership has developed to promote mental wellness and reduce suicide.

CSPP’s work is receiving national attention! Construction Working Minds, a national thought and policy leader in construction suicide prevention, will honor CSPP with the Mental Health Visionaries award. The award will be presented on May 18th at the Construction Working Minds Summit in Denver.

To learn more about CSPP and/or donate to the project, visit the CSPP website: www.linesforlife.org/construction.

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