There is a silent, unseen danger threatening the lives of employees in the construction and mining industries: suicide.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the suicide rate per 100,000 people among males in the mining industry is 72. In the construction industry, 56 males per 100,000 and 10.4 females per 100,000 completed suicide.
Those rates among males are above the national average of 14.2 suicides per 100,000.
Additionally, in 2022, men died by suicide 3.85 times more than women. White males accounted for 68.46 percent of suicide deaths that year.
Dennis Gillan wants to change that.
Gillan, executive director of Half a Sorrow Foundation, recently visited a pair of Martin Marietta operations to talk to employees and the company about fostering an environment where employees can be open about their mental health struggles.
Before his presentation, Gillan was given a tour of a Martin Marietta operation. Something striking stood out to him.
“I saw a lot of guys working alone,” he says. “There’s one guy running a truck from the bottom of the pit to the top of the pit all day. So as much as we are together in a job like this, sometimes we are alone, too, for extended periods of time.”
While some aspects of mining and construction work – such as being alone while driving a haul truck – can’t be changed, Gillan says employers can do things to address employees’ mental health needs.
Assistance in action
According to Gillan, the first step in making the workplace a safe environment for employees to talk about their mental health is understanding what that entails.
“Who determines if it’s a safe space,” he says. “The person that is hurting determines if it’s a safe space. If they look around and they see signs like, ‘Pride welcome here,’ or ‘It’s OK to not be OK,’ they’re going to be more inclined to talk about their problems.”
Outside the workplace, Gillan stresses that employers should implement one key element if they haven’t already: an employee assistance program (EAP). According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, an EAP is a voluntary, work-based program that offers free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals and follow-up services to employees who have personal or work-related problems.
“I spoke to a construction company that had an EAP for one year,” he says. “The HR person told me they went back into the office for the boss to re-sign. He looked at the usage numbers and he said: ‘It’s a no-brainer. I’m re-signing. I didn’t realize my guys were hurting so much.’”
Gillan encourages companies to regularly put out information about EAPs if they offer one, advising employees to review these plans before they are in a crisis.
“Make sure HR is pushing stuff out about the EAP on a monthly basis,” he says. “I always tell people when I’m speaking: ‘Go home and look at your EAP when you’re well.’ When you’re not well, you’re going to be clueless.
“I really encourage business owners, if they don’t have an EAP, [to] explore it,” Gillan adds. “If you can’t do that, make sure you have a list of local resources at hand.”
Related: Making mental health manageable for employees
World Mental Health Day is Oct. 10. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, or dial 988.
