John Gaal Discusses Construction Suicide ‘Postvention’ on St. Louis on the Air Talk Show

Date Posted: August 25, 2026

Posted In: What we are thinking about, Workforce,

Dr. John Gaal, director of worker wellness for the Missouri Works Initiative, appeared on St. Louis Public Radio’s St. Louis on the Air Aug. 20 to discuss his work addressing an often-overlooked part of the construction industry’s mental health crisis: what happens after a worker dies by suicide.

Gaal has been researching “postvention” — the organized response following a suicide to support coworkers, families and others affected by the death and reduce the risk of further harm. The issue is particularly significant in construction, an industry that continues to experience disproportionately high suicide rates.

Gaal told St. Louis on the Air that a single suicide can affect an estimated 135 people. His research focuses particularly on the first 48 hours following a suicide and the role trained peer supporters can play during that critical period.

The work grew in part from Gaal’s own experience responding to eight suicide-related calls during a 12-week period in 2024. He subsequently surveyed and interviewed nearly 80 people in five countries about how the construction industry should respond following a suicide.

Among his findings, 95% of survey respondents said the U.S. construction industry has an opportunity to address the aftermath of suicide, while 81% supported using peer supporters as part of the response. Gaal is now working with partners to develop training materials, with a goal of beginning training in 2027.

For Gaal, who lost his 24-year-old son John Jr. to suicide in 2017, the work is both professional and deeply personal. His larger message is that the industry’s approach to worker wellness needs to connect prevention, intervention and postvention rather than treating them separately.

Listen to Gaal’s St. Louis on the Air interview.