The Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York is aiming to curb high suicide rates in New York City’s unionized construction industry with the help of 1,000 peer supporters trained to conduct discreet mental health assessments as part of its new Building Trades Peer Support Network.
Launched in early March in partnership with Cornell’s The Worker Institute, Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York (NYC BCTC) President Gary LaBarbera said the network is a “critical step in treating mental health as seriously as physical safety in our workplaces.”
He added: “Mom toothe Construction workers are lost every year suicideand this initiative recognizes that protecting our workforce and ensuring they return home to their families every day also means recognizing their mental health.”
Addressing a worrying trend
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that construction workers are six times more likely to die suicide than workplace-related injuries and four times more likely to commit suicide than the American average, according to 2021 data. LaBarbera says the The Building Trades Peer Support Network (BTPSN) initiative is designed to combat these rates as a scalable system that delivers interventions while ultimately changing mindsets about mental health.
“By mobilizing a peer support network in New York City workplaces, BCTC, along with Cornell and the New York Building Foundation, is giving workers the tools to take care of themselves and others,” said LaBarbera.
The New York Building Foundation contributed approximately $125,000 to the conceptualization of the BTPSN, including $55,000 allocated for program design and an additional $70,000 for ongoing curriculum development and training.
Workplace “Eyes and ears”
The Peer Support Network will operate under an established advisory committee made up of MAP directors, BCTC staff, Cornell faculty and a physician who will meet monthly to monitor, evaluate and refine the program, LaBarbera explained.
BTPSN Support Peers do not provide any type of direct support services or therapy for at-risk co-workers, but are trained to be “eyes and ears in the workplace,” LaBarbera explained in comments to ENR. As fellow construction workers and union members in all trade disciplines, Peer Support will assess and refer individuals who need assistance to the appropriate resources andthe The type of leave or free time will be determined case by case and in accordance with the collective agreement.
“The multi-professional aspect of this program is a vital part of its success, as support peers will be trained to observe and assess workers of all types on a job site. For example, a support peer who is an electrician is not only there for fellow electricians. They can also support and assess a carpenter or a fitter, etc.,” said LaBarbera.
Getting support
With additional costs expected as the network grows, LaBarbera says the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York hopes to receive support from New York State to maintain and continue the expansion of the program.
Nationally, construction leaders have also supported efforts to address high suicide rates in the construction industry, including last year’s launch of the CEO Advisory Council, hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, including executives from the suite of Bechtel, Fluor, Turner Construction, North America’s Building Trades Unions, Kiewit, Clark Construction and Skanska.
