After a two-year decline, the number of Americans who committed suicide rose to 47,646 in 2021, the latest year for which data was available. On-site construction workers are the second-highest at-risk occupational group for suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In response to this concerning data, AEC firms and industry groups are stepping up their suicide prevention measures.
In late October 2022, the general contractor Balfour Beatty launched an innovative online tool for its employees and industry partners that provides streamlined access to potentially lifesaving mental health resources.
The company’s suicide prevention website, which is being displayed via QR code on jobsite signage across the U.S., offers easy access—in English and Spanish—to the newly rebranded 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and industry resources from the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP).
The site was also designed to address the unique needs of individuals who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. Its supportive elements are mobile- and desktop-friendly, are easy to navigate with minimal actions needed to access resources, and are presented in a warm color palette that is meant to positively regulate a worker’s mental health response.
Balfour Beatty was unable at press time to provide how many visits its website had received since its launch.
Eric Yates, the firm’s Environmental Health and Safety Manager in the Carolinas, said the hotlines were getting the most attention, via the website, from Balfour Beatty’s field teams and trade partners.
Related Stories
| Aug 14, 2013
Green Building Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest green design and construction firms.
| Aug 14, 2013
Military Construction Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest military sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 13, 2013
DPR's Phoenix office, designed by SmithGroupJJR, affirmed as world's largest ILFI-certified net-zero facility
The new Phoenix Regional Office of DPR Construction, designed by SmithGroupJJR, has been officially certified as a Net Zero Energy Building by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). It’s the largest building in the world to achieve Net Zero Energy Building Certification through the Institute to date.
| Aug 13, 2013
USGBC joins forces with Green Sports Alliance to promote sustainable venues
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced a collaboration with the Green Sports Alliance, a prominent nonprofit organization supporting the development and promotion of green building initiatives in professional and collegiate sports.
| Aug 8, 2013
Energy research animates science sector [2013 Giants 300 Report]
After an era of biology-oriented spending—largely driven by Big Pharma and government concerns about bioterrorism—climate change is reshaping priorities in science and technology construction.
| Aug 8, 2013
Top Science and Technology Sector Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Affiliated Engineers, Middough, URS top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest science and technology sector engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
| Aug 8, 2013
Top Science and Technology Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
HDR, Perkins+Will, HOK top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest science and technology sector architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Aug 8, 2013
Top Science and Technology Sector Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Skanska, DPR, Suffolk top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest science and technology sector contractors and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Aug 8, 2013
Level of Development: Will a new standard bring clarity to BIM model detail?
The newly released LOD Specification document allows Building Teams to understand exactly what’s in the BIM model they’re being handed.
| Aug 8, 2013
Vertegy spins off to form independent green consultancy
St. Louis-based Vertegy has announced the formation of Vertegy, LLC, transitioning into an independent company separate from the Alberici Enterprise. The new company was officially unveiled Aug. 1, 2013