Construction is a big industry in our region, but recent studies show construction workers are nearly five times more likely to die from mental health-related issues compared to an accident on site.
We met with experts from Virginia Tech and they tell us every year there are around 1,000 accidental deaths in construction, there are around 5,000 deaths from suicide.
He said in construction, mental health is sometimes the last safety component considered, but is just as important as the others.
“My bottom line is talk about it,” said Brian Kleiner, director of the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech. “That means general contractors that means workers. If you‘re the worker, and you feel like you may be contemplating suicide, text 988 and there will be a counselor there. They’ll talk to you in Spanish or English.”
He said in the construction field, it can be taboo to talk about mental health, but it cannot be ignored.