The National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) recently donated to the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP) to support the goal of shattering the stigma surrounding mental health issues in construction.

“Suicide in construction is an issue that can and must be solved,” says Mike Flowers, NUCA’s director of safety, training, and education. “The loss of any employee to suicide is heartbreaking, but in an industry with a suicide rate markedly higher than other fields, we must overcome preexisting conceptions about the importance of mental health and do everything we can to stop these needless deaths. Because suicide prevention is a safety priority for NUCA, supporting CIASP was an easy decision.”

With a suicide rate that is four times greater than the national average, the construction industry is facing a crisis. Construction workers are at a heightened risk for suicide for preventable reasons and, by ultimately changing the industry’s culture of mental health, it will be possible to reduce suicide industry-wide.

NUCA recently presented a check to CIASP’s representative at the association’s fall Washington Summit in Washington, D.C. In addition to the contribution to CIASP, NUCA is currently developing for 2022 a suicide awareness training course created for members’ field management.

The Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention was born out of necessity in response to statistics released in a CDC study ranking construction as the leading industry for deaths by suicide. Established by the Construction Financial Management Association in 2016, CIASP became a standalone organization in 2018 with the mission to raise awareness about suicide prevention and provide resources and tools to create a zero-suicide industry by uniting and supporting the construction community.

CIASP’s mission is to provide and disseminate information and resources for suicide prevention and mental health promotion in construction. The goal is to change the statistics by educating and equipping organizations, industry service providers and construction professionals and address it as an industry health and safety priority.