BLOG: It’s time to talk about mental health in construction
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, mental health has been a hot topic in many job sectors, if not in society as a whole. People have decided to change careers, as self-reflection becomes more prevalent. What hasn’t been as widely discussed is the fact that mental health is a systemic problem in every industry, construction especially.
More construction workers die from suicide each year than every other workplace-related fatality combined. The construction industry has the highest suicide rate of any profession. Almost as troubling: Most individuals do not seek help or express their feelings to others (CDC). Knowing that individuals do not seek help means that it may be incumbent on the employer to ask the right questions and provide help if they notice a change. Sometimes the employee grappling with mental health issues will not even make their struggle apparent. That’s why we need to make mental health consciousness part of the culture.
In order to attract more people to our industry, we need to instill faith that in fact construction can not only be a safe environment, but one wherein they can thrive. That’s why MCCEI is teaming up with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and WellSpark to host a 5-part webinar series and end of year symposium to address the mental health epidemic in the construction industry and what employers can do to improve the well-being of our workers.
*Note: These webinars will NOT be recorded, so you will have to attend live to experience the webinar.
Sign up below to attend one or more of our webinars:
January 19th – Mental Health and the Construction Workforce
April 6th – Stigma Free Workplace
June 14th – Breaking Stigma – An Open Conversation About Men’s Mental Health
September 1st – A Conversation About Depression and Suicidal Ideation
October 3rd – Engaging Student Groups In Our ‘I Will Listen’ Campaign