Associated Builders and Contractors and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention recently formed a partnership to address mental health and suicide prevention in the U.S. construction industry.
The partnership aims to improve the mental health of construction workers through effective suicide prevention education, intervention, and postvention strategies, as well as to encourage, equip, and empower mental health champions in the workforce, and introduce collaboration between ABC and AFSP chapters nationwide.
“Safety includes total human health—emotional, social, mental, intellectual, financial, occupational and spiritual wellness—and we must continue to raise the bar for safety for the construction workforce of more than 7.5 million,” said Greg Sizemore, ABC vice president of health, safety, environment, and workforce development, in a news release. “Our people are our greatest asset, and this partnership will take our total human health and safety practices to the next level. Going forward, this is the greatest opportunity to leverage and advance world-class safety for our people, both physically and mentally.”
The partnership will:
· Develop and disseminate education resources on mental health and suicide prevention in workplaces and find and take advantage of opportunities to engage workers.
· Support suicide prevention and postvention education in the construction workplace at all levels of the organizations’ chapters and membership.
· Participate in key events where worker safety and health, as well as safety and health practitioners’ and other professionals’ development are addressed.
· Promote and facilitate the transfer of relevant mental health and suicide prevention and postvention research and findings to practitioners and to the construction workforce.
· Share opportunities with ABC and AFSP chapters on supportive programs and events.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Jul 20, 2017
Chicago rises to the top of U.S. cities in percentage of LEED or Energy Star office buildings
Certified office buildings reach 66% in windy city.
Codes and Standards | Jul 19, 2017
Economic impacts of climate change will jump over next two decades
Average annual cost to buildings and infrastructure from eastern storms to rise by $7.3 billion.
Codes and Standards | Jul 18, 2017
Energy modeling yields accuracy within 4%, says new study
Results of the study support the usefulness of the practice.
Codes and Standards | Jul 13, 2017
Net Zero Energy rebranded as ‘Zero Energy’
ILF aims to make new certification the sole standard for highest performing buildings.
Codes and Standards | Jul 13, 2017
New York City creates $10 million fund to help women- and minority-owned firms win construction contracts
The money is earmarked for up to $500,000 surety bonds per contract.
Codes and Standards | Jul 12, 2017
New International Building Code allows weather-resistive barriers above 40 feet
Danger of propagating flames now deemed negligible.
Codes and Standards | Jul 10, 2017
New mass plywood panel project moves ahead with federal grant
New material is substitute for concrete and steel in multi-story projects.
Codes and Standards | Jul 6, 2017
Trump ups ante on apprenticeships, gives private sector more room to design them
Initiative aimed at alleviating construction industry worker shortage.
Codes and Standards | Jul 6, 2017
Flawed modeling to blame for green buildings failure to live up to hype on energy efficiency
Explains energy performance gap from expected savings to actual savings.
Codes and Standards | Jul 5, 2017
Research study examines tall timber buildings worldwide
Industry group developing criteria for categorizing wide range of construction approaches to tall timber buildings.