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Editor’s note: This story focuses on the topic of mental health and suicide. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
Dive Brief:
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has formed new partnerships to boost the outreach of its Hard Hat Courage initiative, aimed at reducing the rate of suicide in construction.
AFSP is partnering with North America’s Building Trades Unions and CPWR — The Center for Construction Research and Training to reach millions of additional craft professionals, according to an April 1 announcement shared with Construction Dive.
Dive Insight:
Construction has the second-highest suicide rate of any U.S. industry, behind mining, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The collaboration between AFSP, union membership group NABTU and safety data researcher CPWR aims to reduce that rate by developing core, shared standards. That includes learning objectives for suicide prevention awareness training and education, as well as exploring peer-based suicide prevention training aligned with jobsite roles.
Hard Hat Courage will also seek to partner with other industry organizations to expand awareness and adoption.
Bechtel initially spurred the program in March 2024, when it pledged $7 million to AFSP — at the time the largest donation to the nonprofit in its history. In September, Hard Hat Courage shared that it had reached 188,000 construction professionals, signaling progress toward its goal of reaching 500,000 workers within five years of the donation.
“Hard Hat Courage was always intended to move the entire construction industry forward,” Brendan Bechtel, chairman and CEO of Bechtel, said in the release. “By bringing together organizations like NABTU and CPWR, we’re scaling this effort across the industry so every craft professional has the awareness, tools, and support to look out for themselves and each other.”
Since its founding, industry leaders — including NABTU President Sean McGarvey — have sat on the Hard Hat Courage CEO Advisory board.
“Our members build America. We must also build a culture where it’s standard practice to talk about mental health and take action early,” McGarvey said in the release. “By recommending baseline standards across our affiliates and beyond, we’re making that expectation clear and consistent.”
Other groups are also working to raise awareness of the issue in construction. Since 2020, Kansas City-based nonprofit Construction Suicide Prevention Week has run an eponymous, annual event to draw attention to the subject. Its fifth running wrapped up in September.
In early March, The Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York launched its Building Trades Peer Support Network to focus on workers’ mental health. The program seeks to train 1,000 rank-and-file peer supporters throughout the trades, empowering them to become resources for their colleagues.
This isn’t the first partnership between NABTU and CPWR. In February, the groups shared data indicating the rate of deaths by suicide and overdoses had declined in construction in 2024. They attributed the decreases to numerous factors, including reduced stigma around substance use and mental health alongside improved treatment and recovery support in the industry.
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