The national GC Suffolk is urging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to incorporate suicide awareness and prevention training as a “core requirement” in its OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 curricula.
In a letter dated May 2 and sent to Douglas L. Parker, Assistant Secretary of Labor overseeing OSHA, John Fish, Suffolk’s Chairman and CEO, notes that more construction workers die annually from suicide than from all other workplace-related fatalities combined. The myriad causes that lead to suicides among construction workers include high psychological stress levels, chronic pain from the physical demands of work, emotional exhaustion, and substance and alcohol abuse.
On top of that, more than 15 percent of military veterans enter the construction industry after completing their service, and vets have a 50 percent higher rate of suicide than the general population’s.
“The time is now to rally our entire industry to address this dire issue,” states the letter. During Safety Week earlier this month, Suffolk hosted Mental Health Fireside Chats with noted clinicians to educate its employees on the problem and possible solutions. The firm also hosted webinars that inform employees about Suffolk’s mental health resources.
OSHA can guide the mental health discussion
The letter to Parker was co-signed by Brig. General (retired) Jack Hammond, Executive Director of Home Base, a national nonprofit that’s the largest private-sector clinic in the U.S., having treated more than 30,000 vets and trained more than 85,000 clinicians.
Fish and Hammond believe that OSHA has a critical role to play in driving the discussion around prioritizing “a widespread culture of support and transparency regarding mental health,” through better training, awareness, and resources.
Here is a copy of the letter:
Related Stories
| Jul 16, 2013
As the U.S. economy sputters back to life, contractors wait for the green light on projects [2013 Giants 300 Report]
There are enough positive indictors in the economy to justify greenlighting projects, but building owners and developers remain reluctant to pull the trigger.
| Jul 16, 2013
Top Construction Management Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
URS, STV, JE Dunn top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest construction management and project management firms in the United States.
| Jul 16, 2013
Top Contractors [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Turner, Fluor, Skanska top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest contractors in the United States.
| Jul 16, 2013
Robotics: A new way to demolish buildings
A robot prototype uses water jets to break up concrete structures and then sucks up the water and debris for reuse and recycling.
| Jul 15, 2013
Zaha Hadid unveils plan for boutique condo development in New York
Related Companies taps the London-based architect for the 11-story 520 West 28th Street residential development adjacent to the High Line in Chelsea.
| Jul 15, 2013
Driggs named to lead Heery International
Rich Driggs has been named President of Heery International, following Bill Heitz, who retired on July 1st after 34 years with the company. Driggs is only the fourth leader of Heery International since George Heery founded the firm in 1952.
| Jul 12, 2013
12 award-winning healthcare projects [slideshow]
AIA's Academy of Architecture for Health announced the recipients of the 2013 AIA National Healthcare Design Awards.
| Jul 11, 2013
Pennsylvania legislators work on bill to update demolition codes following fatal building collapse
Pennsylvania lawmakers are working on a bill to update demolition codes, in the wake of a fatal building collapse in Philadelphia in June.
| Jul 11, 2013
Lawsuit challenges modular apartment project in New York City
A plan to build pre-fab apartment buildings at Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, N.Y., has been challenged by a lawsuit filed by the Plumbing Foundation in Manhattan Supreme Court.
