VIDEO: AGC MO Bets on Ending Culture of Silence Around Construction Suicide
Date Posted: September 11, 2019
Posted In: Discussion, Ideas, Organizations, Workforce,
by Tom Finan, Executive Director, Construction Forum STL
The Associated General Contractors of Missouri (AGCMO) wants to help end the strong and silent construction culture that leads to workers holding in their hurts, hangups, and habits — until they end their own lives.
One of AGCMO’s tools is a poker chip.
Construction is the number one industry nationally for suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Monday (Aug. 26), over 70 safety directors, superintendents, public health experts and other leaders gathered at the Construction Training School on Knox Industrial to learn about some tools and toolbox talks that have been developed to address the issue.
Ann Marie Dale, PhD, associate professor in medicine and occupational therapy at Washington University School of Medicine has been studying the health of construction workers for two decades — in large part using data from the Carpenters union and from STL area contractors. She said that she has seen some improvement in the younger workers in the industry regarding mental health issues. But she added that Boomer workers who still subscribe to the “tough guy” stereotype make it difficult for those younger workers to seek help when they are in crisis.
Monday’s program began when Bo Cooper, safety director at Alberici, attended the biannual meeting of the Construction Industry Safety Initiative (CISI) in September of 2018. CISI is a comprised of the CEOs of the nation’s top contractors and their respective safety directors. Each time the group selects pressing topic to address. Last September that topic was suicide among construction workers.
Cooper wanted to provide resources to promote action among AGCMO’s members to address mental health, addiction, and suicide stigmas. He approached Matt Cowell, vice president of safety of AGCMO. Together the pair assembled a group of experts to develop tools for Suicide Prevention Awareness Week (Sept. 9-16) and a program to train the trainers.
Cooper suggested to Cowell that the imprinted poker chips his team hands to workers reminding them to “work safe” could be adapted for the suicide prevention program. The chips have an AGCMO logo on one side. On the other they have a logo that was designed for the program, the words “You Are Not Alone,” and contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
In addition posters and hard hat stickers have been made. The group is asking that contractors and industry groups use the hashtag #youarenotalone. A series of five toolbox talks addressing suicide in construction were developed by the organizers.
Dr. John Gaal, who recently retired as director of training and workforce for the Carpenters, spoke to those attending the event.
The five toolbox talk topics are:
- The State of Our Industry ( Presenting facts on the size of the suicide problem in construction);
- Reduce the Stigma (Focusing on the problems which the “tough guy” image create);
- Recognizing the Warning Signs (Watch-outs in terms of behavior, organized into a chart);
- Starting the Conversation (How to listen and what questions to ask when a colleague is in crisis); and
- Recap (Summary takeaways from the week’s talks)
AGCMO’s Matt Cowell said that there are plans to take the program statewide, beginning in Kansas City. He said that — because the program is bigger than just AGCMO and its members — he is asking companies that may want to help the program channel their donations through Dr. Gaal’s 2114 Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Dr. Gaal can be reached by email, or by phone at 314.805.9966. Cowell can be reached at AGC at 314.781.2356, or by email at mcowell@agcmo.org.