Editor’s Note:
This is Part One of a four-part series that explores why construction has the highest rate of suicide of any industry and what can be done about it.
The construction industry is well versed in the “fatal four” – the main causes of jobsite deaths.
But when it comes to an even bigger killer than falls or being struck, crushed or electrocuted, the industry has been largely silent.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more construction workers die from suicide each year than every other workplace-related fatality combined.
Five times as many workers – more than 5,000 – die by suicide annually than from OSHA's fatal four. That compares to about 1,000 fatalities a year from physical injuries on the job.
Download the Mental Health Survey
The Mental Health in Construction Survey conducted by Equipment World was taken by 269 construction industry professionals from May 4 to June 1, 2023. Responses that did not fit the primary business criteria were not included in the results, and the observations drawn from the results were limited to responses from qualified individuals only.
Participants across the U.S. answered more than 20 questions about their current mental health, the most significant stressors in their lives, and the resources – or lack thereof – available to them.
