In construction, safety has always been a priority. But creating a truly safe workplace means looking beyond hard hats, harnesses, and jobsite protocols. It means supporting the mental health and well-being of the people doing the work.
The need is significant. Construction workers account for nearly 18% of suicide deaths among U.S. workers with a reported industry, despite representing just 7.4% of the workforce. The suicide death rate among construction workers is more than twice the rate across all industries.
Mortenson is helping lead the effort to change that.
Through its partnership with Huntsman Mental Health Foundation, they are working to make mental health resources more visible, accessible, and part of everyday conversations on job sites.
We spoke with Kirra Metcalf, Senior Safety Engineer at Mortenson, about the mental health challenges facing the construction industry, what Mortenson is doing to support its workforce, and why the company chose to partner with Huntsman Mental Health Foundation.
What are some mental health struggles the construction industry sees?
The construction industry has the second-highest rates of suicide among any other workforce in the United States. Other mental health struggles this workforce faces include chronic stress, depression, and anxiety. These are often a result of the long work hours, job insecurity, “tough-guy” culture, and physical demands of the work, which often leads to chronic pain.
In turn, it’s common to see individuals who work in the construction industry turn to substances in order to cope with these stressors, which can lead to substance use disorders.
How does Mortenson help team members maintain good mental health?
Mortenson offers a variety of resources to team members to help maintain good mental health. Company-wide, Mortenson offers an employee assistance program to all employees, regardless of their position in the company or whether they’re on Mortenson’s health insurance plan. This program includes several free therapy sessions each year for family members living within the same household, medication management support, work-life services, and more.
Onsite resources vary between projects and what is available locally. However, many of our projects have certified Mental Health First Aiders onsite and physical and digital materials readily available for team members, including information on various mental health topics and lists of local mental health facilities and organizations.
This month, Mortenson is also rolling out an in-house mental health training for team members in leadership positions, primarily those in the field who work directly with our craft workforce. The training will educate team members about various mental health conditions, how to recognize when someone is struggling, signs and symptoms of suicide, how to navigate difficult conversations, and what to do in a mental health crisis.
This training will allow more team members to serve as eyes in the field who can identify those who may be struggling, and as another set of ears ready to listen and connect a team member with resources that can help.
Why did Mortenson decide to partner with the Huntsman Mental Health Foundation?
Huntsman Mental Health Foundation has a strong reputation, and Mortenson has been fortunate to build a relationship with the organization and benefit from its many resources, locally and nationally.
With our growing workforce and project count, partnering with Huntsman Mental Health Foundation has provided our team members with resources that are easily accessible, both on and offsite. Bringing resources directly to our team members and making them incredibly convenient to access has allowed more people to get the help they need to support their mental health.
What does the future of mental health look like for the construction industry?
Mental health in the construction industry has an exciting future ahead. The first step is acknowledging there’s a problem, and the industry as a whole is doing just that. I commend contractors and jobsites for taking the necessary next steps and having conversations internally about where to go from here.
It’s become a normal practice within construction for companies to provide their team members with mental health resources or at least be able to connect them with individuals and organizations that can help. Mental health training programs are used widely throughout the industry, so there are personnel onsite who are adequately trained and readily available to handle situations involving mental health.
Mental health used to be scoffed at within construction, and now it’s become part of everyday conversation in these workplaces. It’s been incredible to see and be part of the shift in stigma around mental health just over the last several years, and it’s only continuing to improve each day.
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