Senate Bill Targets Construction Suicide Prevention

Washington legislation recently introduced in the Senate aims to bolster suicide prevention efforts in the construction industry. The industry has one of the highest rates of suicide according to a press release from the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). In 2023 almost a fifth of deaths by suicide with a reported industry code were tied to construction despite construction workers making up only 7% of the U.S. workforce.

Bill Details

The Constructing the Path to Suicide Prevention Act (S. 5327) would direct the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to collect data on the unique suicide risk factors facing construction workers that can be used to inform future suicide prevention programming according to Safety+Health Magazine. The bill has been referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Identified Risk Factors

Risk factors listed in the legislation include lack of employment and financial stability. Additional factors are substance and alcohol use along with limited access to health care coverage, employment benefits and employee assistance programs.

Backing Organizations

The bill is backed by North America’s Building Trades Unions, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Laborers’ International Union of North America and the Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust among other organizations according to Safety+Health Magazine. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto stated that construction workers are responsible for building America but work in this industry presents distinct mental health risks.

The legislation seeks to give tools to combat the rate of suicide among construction workers and work to end the stigma around mental health on the jobsite according to the source publication.