Background and Problem
Among its many insights into the construction workforce, CII RT-370 highlighted the mental health crisis occurring in the industry. According to the team’s findings, every year the industry loses four to five times more workers to suicide than to jobsite fatalities. The CDC has also broadly discussed this problem. It is not new, and it does not result solely from the pandemic. In 2016, the Carson J. Spencer Foundation (a foundation that specializes in suicide prevention) released a guide entitled, “A Construction Industry Blueprint: Suicide Prevention in the Workplace.” Despite existing resources, suicide rates are still high in the construction industry. Much remains unknown about the causes of these suicides and how to reduce their number. Furthermore, there is a broader need to improve the mental health of workers.
The CII Executive Committee directed CII researchers to investigate this subject, and there has been strong support across the Funded Studies Committee and other CII groups. The Funded Studies Committee is sponsoring this short-term study to address the topic, and the project is expected to take six to eight months.
This research project is a joint effort with the Construction Safety Research Alliance (CSRA) at the University of Colorado Boulder. In addition to the CII members listed in the roster below, CSRA is engaging members from seven organizations.
Objective and Questions
Ultimately, research in this area will need to address basic questions that include the following:
- What are the drivers and causes of the mental health crisis in the construction industry?
- What measures and practices can effectively address the problem?
The Funded Studies Committee envisioned this initial study as a first step to understand the complexities of the problem by addressing drivers and causes, and identifying approaches to prevent and mitigate the mental health crisis in the construction industry.
This initial study will also address other related questions:
- What can organizations in the industry do in the short term?
- Which existing resources and research have proven to be effective and can be used right away?
- Can research from other industries offer initial insights into the problem?
- Which organizations and researchers could be potential partners or collaborators in future research projects?
Expected Deliverables and Outcomes
This study is expected to deliver the following outcomes:
- A roadmap with research questions and objectives to be addressed by subsequent projects.
- The identification of potential partners for these research projects (beyond academics in construction engineering and management programs).
- A map of readily available resources and practices.
Expected Value
The findings of this study could save and improve the lives of workers in the construction industry.
Project Delivery Notes (including potential collaborations)
This study is expected to be the first of a series of efforts devoted to addressing topics related to mental health. CII understands that partnerships will be relevant to engaging the right investigators and industry members.
CII understands that this research should include members and investigators with a strong background in mental health, rather than only investigators and industry members familiar with construction safety. Mental health goes beyond construction safety and this study will require different expertise.
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