According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, construction workers die by suicide at a higher rate than the national average. “New Research on Mental Health and Construction,” a March 2025 webinar by CPWR—The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Md., took an in-depth look at some of the factors leading to that rate and methods to diminish it.

The webinar identified suicide in the construction industry as an issue around which to create a public health model.

One of the webinar participants, Jonathan Davis, assistant professor of occupational and environmental health at the University of Iowa, studied U.S. violent death data from 2013–2020. He found that 15% of the nearly 130,000 people who died by suicide during that period worked in construction. The overwhelming majority were men aged 16 to 64.

Common circumstances attributed to suicide in this group included relationship problems (42%), substance abuse (28%), job or financial problems, health issues, legal or criminal issues, loss of housing and a recent crisis.

“Where we found the biggest difference for construction workers was alcohol and substance use,” Davis said.

The webinar explored benefits that may help prevent suicide in the workforce. States that offer paid family medical leave had a 60% reduction in female suicides and a 21% drop in male suicides compared with states that did not have such laws. States with paid leave benefits that go beyond the federal level saw greater reduction in suicide rates. Paid vacation time also correlated with a 7% reduction in male suicide and 32% in women, Davis said.

Allison Weingarten, senior analyst for Washington, D.C.-based professional services firm MDB Inc., who presented a case study on a New York union’s assistance program, shared similar data during the webinar. In a survey of apprentices in the International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 1, 43% said paid sick leave was the biggest condition they would change. States that restrict opioid prescribing saw a 17% reduction in male suicide.

Next, the webinar looked at a case study examining the development and impact of the International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 1 Member Assistance Education Program. Statistics show that after the development of the MAEP program, 78% of union members who sought treatment for drugs and alcohol maintained their recovery, a significant increase from the 10% prior to the program’s establishment in 2016.

Triggers for substance abuse included the industry culture of drug and alcohol misuse, along with endemic stress, anxiety and depression. MAEP programs help overcome the stigma and encourage support through training and education.

The take-aways focused on how policies that encourage best practices in the workplace can reduce the suicide rate when implemented along with training, education and peer support.