Mental Health in the Construction Industry

Keeping your crew safe means paying attention to how people are doing, even when the challenges they face are harder to see. Long days, demanding work, and worries about the next project can take a toll. Making mental health part of your safety conversations can help workers feel supported and know where to turn.

Why mental health deserves attention

Construction continues to face a serious mental health challenge. An April 2025 report from CPWR—The Center for Construction Research and Training found that approximately 5,100 construction workers ages 16–64 died by suicide in 2023. These deaths occurred both on and off the job. ^[1]

A separate CDC analysis of 2021 data from 49 states found a suicide rate of 56.0 per 100,000 men working in the construction industry, compared with 32.0 per 100,000 men across all industries. That placed construction among the major industries with the highest rates. ^[2]

Behind those numbers are coworkers, friends, and families. Employers have an opportunity to make asking for help easier and to address working conditions that add to stress.

Recognize the pressures your team faces

Heavy workloads, long hours, travel, and uncertain schedules can make it difficult to rest and stay connected with family. Injuries and ongoing pain may add to that strain. NIOSH also identifies high job demands, limited control over work, and a lack of support from supervisors or coworkers as concerns for worker health. ^[3]

Owners and supervisors can feel these pressures, too. Managing deadlines, budgets, and a team’s needs can leave little time to check in with yourself. Make sure your mental health efforts include everyone, from apprentices to company leadership.

Make it easier to ask for help

Workers may hesitate to speak up if they worry about being judged or how a conversation could affect their job. Leaders can help by speaking respectfully about mental health, taking concerns seriously, and explaining how to access support. ^[4]

Start with a private, low-pressure check-in: “You haven’t seemed like yourself lately. How are you doing?” Give the person time to answer and listen without judgment. You do not need to have every answer to help someone take the next step. ^[5]

Build support into everyday safety practices

You can begin with a few practical steps and build on them over time:

Talk about mental health regularly. Include short discussions in toolbox talks and new-hire orientation. Remind workers where support is available before someone needs it.

Address the work itself. Ask your crew what is making the job harder. Review workloads, scheduling, and supervisor support, then identify changes you can make. Encourage feedback about whether those changes are helping.

Make care easier to access. If you offer an employee assistance program, explain how to contact it, what it covers, and its confidentiality practices. Review mental health benefits and help workers navigate available services.

Train supervisors and peer supporters. Help them recognize concerns, listen, and connect people with qualified support. In a September 2026 update, NIOSH highlighted COMPASS, a construction-focused framework that combines workforce awareness, trained peer connectors, and additional suicide intervention training.

Know when to reach out

Warning signs can include withdrawing from others, major changes in sleep or mood, increased alcohol or drug use, and talking about feeling hopeless or being a burden. Take these changes seriously, especially when they are new or becoming more frequent.

If you are concerned someone may be thinking about suicide, ask directly: “Are you thinking about suicide?” According to the National Institute of Mental Health, asking does not increase suicidal thoughts or behavior. Listen without judgment, help the person connect with support, and follow up.

Know where to find support

In the U.S., call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for free, confidential support, 24 hours a day. You can reach out for yourself or because you are worried about someone else. You do not have to wait for a crisis to ask for emotional support. ^[6] If someone is in immediate, life-threatening danger, call 911.

Supporting mental health starts with everyday actions: making time to listen, responding with care, and helping people find support. Choose one step you can take this week to make those conversations easier for your crew.

Sources:

1. CPWR, Construction Worker Injuries, Overdoses, and Suicides, April 2025

2. CDC, Suicide Rates by Industry and Occupation, December 2023

3. NIOSH, Psychosocial Hazards Often Overlooked in Construction Industry

4. NIOSH, Preventing Construction Worker Suicide

5. NIMH, Warning Signs of Suicide

6. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline