TAUC Joins Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention

January 11 2017

TAUC is pleased to announce that it has joined the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention.

Established by the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) in 2016, the Alliance is a group of key industry organizations who have recognized and are committed to promoting the safety and well-being of construction’s most important asset – its human capital.

A July 2016 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that construction is one of the most at-risk industries for suicide. The study, which examined suicide risk by profession, found that of about 12,300 suicides in the 17 states studied, 1,324 people worked in construction and extraction (10.8%) and 1,049 (8.5%) worked in management, a category that includes top executives as well as others in management positions.

Construction industry risk factors include a competitive, high-pressure environment, a relatively higher prevalence of alcohol and substance abuse, furloughs, end-of-season layoffs, and separation from family are just some of the actors that can challenge mental stability. The devastating truth is that all too often, people who experience mental health conditions – which can lead to suicidal despair – suffer in silence. Despite dramatic advances in awareness, prevention, intervention, and treatment, mental health conditions and suicide prevention are still taboo topics of conversation. As such, it is an industry imperative to shatter the mental health stigma and provide resources to assist construction companies so that they may address this issue which has long been ignored. There is a need for more proactive prevention-based strategies, solutions, and services to help the construction industry address mental health and suicide prevention.

The Alliance’s mission is simple, but profound: To provide and disseminate information and resources for suicide prevention and mental health promotion in construction with the goal of creating a zero-suicide industry. WIth that in mind, TAUC would like to share the following links with members:

Construction & Suicide Prevention: 10 Questions Leaders Must Ask Themselves, an informative PDF booklet to bring you up to speed on the issue.

More Information: Articles, Tools & Ideas for Getting Involved