Mental health in construction: NYC contractors push for government action

New York — The Building Trades Employers’ Association is calling on local, state and federal leaders to adopt reforms aimed at enhancing mental health awareness in the construction industry.

In 2022, more than 6,000 construction workers died from suicide across the country, an association press release states, citing an analysis by CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. No occupation has a higher rate of suicide than construction.

BTEA has “prioritized raising awareness about mental health in a variety of ways, including worker training, throughout the past year,” the release adds. “This year, the BTEA intends to move from awareness to action, as it proposes legislation to report on suicides in the construction industry, require mental wellness training and require lifesaving medicine to be available on construction sites.”

Specifically, the proposed reforms include:

• Incorporating mental wellness into OSHA 10- and 30-hour training courses.
• Requiring mental wellness discussions during onsite safety orientations.
• Requiring larger construction sites to have naloxone available to treat opioid overdoses.

BTEA, which represents around 1,200 union contractors in New York, is also proposing that the New York City Department of Buildings incorporate mental wellness into site safety training programs, and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene report annually on suicides categorized by industry.

“Mental wellness and suicide prevention are uncomfortable topics, especially in the construction industry,” BTEA President and CEO Elizabeth Crowley said in the release. “People don’t like to discuss it, but we need to talk about it.

“Construction workers have the highest rates of suicide among any occupation in the country, and we implore our city, state and federal leaders to strengthen protections for these essential workers who serve as the backbone of our country’s prosperity.”