Rate of death by suicide among construction workers is high. Here’s why

Industry leaders created Construction Suicide Prevention Week in 2019 in reaction to a steady rise in the death-by-suicide rate among construction workers.

“We all agreed, as an industry collectively, that we were going to support our workforce,” said Brian Mello of Associated General Contractors of California (AGC of California).

According to the latest numbers, more than 5,000 construction workers die by suicide in one year. The rate is four times higher than the national average, and it’s the second highest by industry, after the mining industry.

AGC of California has members who work on large civil projects such as bridges and roads. The group has created trainings and resources for companies to help their workers’ mental health. This week, companies held moments of silence at job sites and held “tool talks” to help workers come forward and ask for help.

Here’s why it’s happening.

There are about 12 million people working on construction projects large and small across the country. Harassment on the job, long hours, and chronic pain make the work stressful.

Add to that the potential for injury faced each time they show up to work. For example, the danger faced by people who work on the sides of freeways.

“In those work zones with reduced speeds, you have individuals driving well over — well documented — 100 mph. And that can add stress to those on site,” Mello said.

Researchers have studied the various factors contributing to death by suicide among construction workers.

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Courtesy Center for Construction Research and Training

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Mello said he heard one instance of a worker coming forward and saying they could no longer do the work and that they did not want to live anymore.

Giving workers verbal strategies to talk about the stresses they are living through, as well as the time to recover from it, is key, he says.

“We've done some research that demonstrates … where paid leave is available to construction workers, the suicide rates are lower,” said Chris Cain, executive director of the Center for Construction Research and Training.

Some construction companies hold "stand downs" to alert workers about deaths by suicides and serious mental health issues.

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Courtesy Shawmut

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More paid leave lowered suicide rates among female construction workers even more. Women make up about 10% of workers in construction, even though they are roughly 50% of the population.

A law that went into effect in California last year requires employers to provide five days or 40 hours of paid sick leave to employees of construction companies not covered by union contracts.

But people not classified as employees, such as independent contractors, are not covered. It’s unclear how many construction workers are independent contractors but a 2018 state law made it tougher for companies to skirt paying fair wages to these workers by classifying them as independent contractors.

Researchers say there's a troubling relationship between drug overdoses and deaths by suicide among construction workers.

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Courtesy Center for Construction Research and Training.

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Cain’s center has identified job demand risks, biological risks, and socio-economic status risks that could contribute to the high death-by-suicide rate.

She said there had been some good news — most recent research shows 100 fewer deaths by suicide among construction workers in 2023 compared to the year before.

“[But] it's really difficult to say that's a trend,” she said.

Here’s what companies are doing and what the public can do.

On Monday, the construction firm Shawmut observed a moment of silence at all its sites nationwide, including more than a dozen in Southern California. The company’s CEO also was scheduled to visit a work site in West Hollywood to lead a so-called tool talk.

“[The tool talk] highlights all the mental challenges like anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts. And what it does is it points out that they're just as serious as the physical job hazards that we face in construction,” said Steve Lee, the company’s West Director of Safety.

Many workers, he says, are reluctant to open up about how they’re feeling.

Empathy toward the worker goes a long way, as does helping people overcome reluctance or embarrassment to talk about their mental health issues, he said.

Those who are working on this issue recognize these topics are difficult to talk about but say the stakes are so high for the individuals and their family, friends, and co-workers that it’s better to do so than not.