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Publisher Note: This story focuses on the topic of mental health and suicide. If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Life in 988.
Brief of diving:
- Anxiety and depression increase among construction workers, emphasizing the Industry mental health crisisAccording to a CPWR Thursday webinar: The construction and training center linked to the week of the prevention of construction suicide.
- From 2018 to 2024, anxiety among construction workers went from 12.6% to 18.4%, along with an increase in depression, from 7.7% to 8%, said Derek Dufoe, a CPWR research assistant. At the same time, the share of workers who said they needed mental health care but could not allow almost triple, from 2% to 5.6%.
- The discussion focused on the toll of suicide and overdose in jobs and the urgent need for labor interventions. CPWR urged contractors to use tools such as resilience formation and awareness -raising programs against opioids, as well as to normalize mental health conversations in the field.
Divide vision:
The findings arrive as the construction fights with one of the Highest suicide rates in any industryAccording to the control centers and prevention of diseases.
Only in 2023, there were about 5,000 deaths for construction workers and almost 16,000 overdose, said Amber Trueblood, director of the CPWR data center.
The panelists emphasized Cultural change is so critical as a data monitoring. For example, workers are usually more willing to help colleagues to seek help, said Trueblood. Could be a powerful entry point.
“The more animate you [construction workers] To relate to his co -workers and be a friend and be a help, then I think this breaks down some barriers, “said Trueblood during the event.” The more they talk to each other, the more they try to help their co -workers, the more likely they will be on the way to ask if they need it. “
Many construction workers face long hours of the family, as well as chronic pain or production pressure, said Chris Trahan Cain, executive director of CPWR. These factors are often intertwined with opioid recipes.
That is why CPWR is pressing resources such as doctors alerts and Alternative pain management guidesAs well as the organization’s mental health resilience, which has nine modules based on discussion and bilingual toolbox talks. The group also co-served guidelines in the industry on suicide prevention language and offers unloadable infographics for both employees and employers.
“It is intended to help construction workers talk to their doctors about pain -related pain and when they talk to their doctors, such as applying for pain medicines that do not include opioids,” said Trahan Cain. “We call this a really great example of intervention that occurs before any type of dependency can be formed.”
Construction companies also take action. Reston, Bechtel, based in Virginia, recently launched his Hard Hat Hard Straft Initiative With the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a $ 7 million effort that combines toolbox conversations and a set of crisis response tools. The aim is to reach 500,000 workers across the country for five years.
