The Crisis We Can’t Afford to Ignore

By BRENT DARNELL

Construction has the second-highest suicide rate of any industry.

Suicide kills five times more people than all construction-related accidental deaths combined.

Read that again.
Five times more.

In 2022, roughly 6,000 construction workers in the U.S. took their own lives. About 1,000 died from jobsite accidents.

We have an entire regulatory system for physical safety. OSHA. Toolbox talks. Fall protection. PPE.

And almost nothing for the thing that’s killing five times more of our people.

Why?

Because the culture says be tough. Don’t show weakness. Don’t ask for help. Keep your head down and get the job done.

That same emotional profile I see in every group I work with – high stress tolerance, low emotional expression, low empathy, low interpersonal skills – is a pressure cooker with no relief valve.

These men and women deal with chronic pain, sleep deprivation, seasonal work, job insecurity, financial stress, isolation and a hyper-masculine culture that punishes vulnerability.

And we wonder why we’re losing them.

Mental health is not separate from safety. It is safety.

If we care about sending people home safe at the end of the day, we have to start caring about what’s happening between their ears. Not just what’s happening on the scaffold.

If you’re struggling, please reach out. You are not alone. Your life matters more than any project.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988.
Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention: https://lnkd.in/e3rqdfqp

Brent Darnell is the owner of Brent Darnell International.