Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) has introduced legislation in the Senate that targets the construction industry’s high suicide rate and aims to boost suicide prevention efforts, according to Safety+Health magazine.
Although construction workers make up only 7% of the U.S. workforce, in 2023, almost 20% of deaths by suicide with a reported industry code were connected to construction.
The legislation, Constructing the Path to Suicide Prevention Act (S. 5327), would direct the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to collect data regarding the “unique suicide risk factors facing construction workers that can be used to inform future suicide prevention programming.” Risk factors include lack of employment and financial stability; substance and alcohol use; and limited access to health care coverage and employee assistance programs.
The bill has been referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
NRCA offers mental health resources to enhance your company’s efforts to raise awareness, provide help, and give support to mental health and suicide prevention in the roofing industry. To learn more, visit betoughenough.org.
