Addressing Mental Health in the Construction Industry

Employers across many different industries are testing new ways to help employees care for their mental health. In the last few years, mental health issues have spiked and have left many unsure of how to handle growing anxieties and pressures brought on by the past few years.

Even prior to the pandemic, mental health concerns were a key issue in the construction industry. The CDC reports that the industry has the second-highest rate of suicide. As concerns over employee well-being rises, how can employers best help address the construction mental health crisis? 

Know The Stats 

Before you can begin developing strategies to address the crisis, you need to first understand the issue at hand. Here’s a brief look at mental health in the construction industry.

A 2020 study conducted by the Construction Industry Rehabilitation Plan found that 83% of construction workers experienced a mental health issue. The CIRP’s research also found that construction workers had a high rate of early childhood trauma and undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder. 

A 2021 Pulse survey on mental health in the industry, 31% of industry respondents representing supervisors and C-Suite leaders said that workers struggling with a mental health or substance issue concern were unlikely to seek help. 

The most common reasons workers listed for not seeking help were: 

• Shame and stigma (78%)
• Fear of judgement by peers (77%)
• Fear of negative job consequences (55%)
• Unsure how to access care (46%) 

• Physical exhaustion from labor
• Long hours
• Injuries and chronic pain caused by labor
• Seasonal layoffs
• Worries about finding the next project 

Form A Plan To Address Concerns 

• Develop a strategy to prevent mental health issues before they come up and find ways to support employees in time of crisis.
• Make sure a plan is in place that allows employees to report issues as they arise.
• Plan training session to help supervisors know how to handle a mental health crisis and where to direct attention. 

Provide Important Resources 

46% of respondents in the Pulse study reported that they did not know how to access care. Direct your employees to internal resources or to national organizations such as: 

Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention: Visit https://preventconstructionsuicide.com/ 

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: Dial 988 

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 

Address The Stigma 

Talking about mental health is difficult for everyone. Men are especially likely to not seek help for their mental health and are 3.5 times more likely to commit suicide than women. 96% of construction workers are men. Your employees may worry that asking for help will make them seem weak or incapable of performing their job duties. Address the stigma to remind them that they are not alone and will not be thought of as less.  

Check In On Your Employees 

Be proactive when it comes to making sure your employees are well-cared for and make sure to leverage various Kokomo24/7® solutions such as Kokomo FORMS™, Kokomo ESCALTE™, and Kokomo CASES™. 

Kokomo FORMS™ allows employers the ability to periodically conduct wellness checks at the frequency of their choosing. Users can customize any survey questions and send when desired. In the event an employee submits a concerning response, they can be directed to resources such as those listed above. This allows employees the ability to respond honestly without fear of peer judgement. 

Kokomo ESCALATE™ is a great way to provide workers with a way to report their concerns or mental health and well-being concerns anonymously and without the fear of stigma. Employees can ask the questions they need in a confidential setting so that they can get the help they need. 

Finally, Kokomo CASES™ provides a centralized dashboard to track all employee responses to FORMS, ESCALATE and other Kokomo solutions to provide users with the ability to: 

• See all company incidents and tasks in one location 
• Reduce incident response times 
• Manually or automatically send notifications based on specific incidents or incident timing 

• Comply with OSHA standards 
• Pull reports for further analysis 

Mental health concerns are a prevalent issue in the construction industry. The statistics paint a scary reality but by acknowledging the issue, you have already taken the first step in working to solve the problem.  

 “The good news from these results is that the top-line management in construction are paying attention, and with leaders like CFMA, Holmes Murphy and CSDZ in our corner, we will continue our work in supporting the creation of mentally healthy organizational cultures, ending stigma, and improving access to effective and timely care for mental health and substance use conditions” says Director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation Center for Workplace Mental Health, Darcy Gruttadaro, J.D. 

Ever since Kokomo24/7® was founded in 2018, we have been a leader in compliance and risk management solutions for all things health and safety. Kokomo proudly serves workplaces, communities, and schools with continuity software solutions including surveys, case management, accreditation and vaccine tracking, guest management, notifications, occupancy management, anonymous reporting, and emergency operations. Our mission is to deliver highly effective, easy-to-use, and trusted compliance and risk management solutions that bridge the gap between public safety and technology.     

Looking for a way to track and improve employee wellness? Trust the software used by construction companies such as  Mortenson Construction, Gilbane, and Morley Builders.