Earlier this year, RK was featured on Denver 7 News in a story called “Construction company serves as national model for suicide prevention,” which highlighted the importance of removing the stigma around mental health in the workplace.
As an employer of skilled trades’ workers, one of the professions with a high rate of suicide, we take precautions to support and listen to our employees. The construction industry’s high rate of suicide stems from mental health issues, addiction, and a constantly changing job market. To ensure employees have a safe space, we have implemented certain initiatives, such as:
- Open communication culture that encourages employees to express their opinion and emotions in productive, healthy ways
- Mental wellness toolbox talks
- Suicide prevention training for all managers and supervisors
- Annual suicide prevention campaign with informative posters, social media posts, blogs and other company-wide messaging
In addition to RK’s efforts, Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP) suggests companies consider implementing the following resources at work to help reduce the likelihood of suicide.
- Issuing Wallet cards with warning signs and helplines to all employees
- Using Hardhat stickers to promote the CIASP STAND UP pledge
- Making screening tools accessible to help employees identify potential mental health issues
- Sharing Joyages Construction Industry Resource Page & Videos with teams to build awareness
- Asking your employee assistance program provider to present sessions on mental health and coping techniques
RK values our employees and understands the importance of mental health and wellness. Not only do we want our employees to receive the best mental and physical healthcare available, but we’d also like to help other companies provide access to the resources they need to do the same.
If you, or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please reach out to one of the numbers below to get help right away.
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1.800.273.8255 (English) 1.888.628.9454 (Espanol) 1.800.273.8255 (Deaf and Hard of Hearing) |
Crisis Text Line: Text “Hello” to 741741 |
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INTEGRATION RESOURCES, Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention