Make it Safe to Speak Up: Suicide Prevention in Construction 

Construction is an industry built around safety. We wear hard hats, inspect equipment, hold toolbox talks, follow fall-protection rules, and stop work when conditions become dangerous. But one of the most serious risks facing the construction workforce is not always visible. 

Suicide rates in construction remain alarmingly high. The Center for Construction Research and Training reported in February 2026 that among construction workers ages 16–64, approximately 5,000 died by suicide in 2024. The suicide rate was 41.9 per 100,000 workers, down from 43.2 per 100,000 in 2023.  

While suicide deaths declined about 1.7%, from roughly 5,100 in 2023 to 5,000 in 2024. Those numbers are still high enough to make suicide prevention a workplace safety issue, and it deserves the same attention, planning, and care we give to physical hazards. 

Hard Hat Courage Offers Strong Support Resources 

One of the most significant industry efforts addressing this issue is Hard Hat Courage, a construction-focused suicide prevention initiative founded through a partnership between the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and Bechtel. 

Hard Hat Courage was created specifically around the realities of construction. Its goal is to help the industry treat mental health with the same seriousness it gives physical safety, while providing construction companies of all sizes with resources they can actually use in the field. 

That construction-specific focus matters. Workers may face long hours, travel, seasonal employment, physically demanding work, injuries, chronic pain, deadline pressure, financial stress, time away from family, and other pressures. At the same time, a culture that prizes toughness and self-reliance can sometimes make it harder for someone to say, “I’m struggling,” or ask for support. 

NAWIC Is Now a Partner in The Hard Hat Courage Mission 

For NAWIC members, Hard Hat Courage has become especially relevant. In July 2026, NAWIC announced a partnership with AFSP to help amplify the Hard Hat Courage initiative throughout the construction industry. 

Under the partnership, AFSP provides educational resources and content that NAWIC can share with members, employers, partners, and colleagues. NAWIC also committed to incorporating Hard Hat Courage resources into its industry resource hub and connecting Hard Hat Courage subject-matter experts with professional development opportunities. 

NAWIC and Hard Hat Courage have also collaborated on the Industry Mental Health Leadership Award, which recognizes people helping advance mental health and suicide prevention within construction. 

Put Hard Hat Courage Resources to Work 

One of Hard Hat Courage’s strengths is that companies do not have to invent a suicide prevention program from scratch. 

The Hard Hat Courage resource library includes ready-to-use toolbox talks designed for regular safety meetings, orientations, and jobsite check-ins. Topics include recognizing warning signs, supporting a peer, starting a difficult conversation, chronic pain, substance misuse, financial stress, healthy sleep, bullying and harassment, balancing work and family pressures, social isolation, and stress management. The toolbox talks are available in both English and Spanish. 

The Implementation Toolkit provides a structured framework for developing a more comprehensive program. It addresses areas including leadership, policy and culture, training, access to resources, and communications. 

The Building a Critical Incident Response Plan resource helps construction organizations prepare for situations in which a worker may express suicidal thoughts or be at risk of self-harm. Rather than trying to determine what to do during a crisis, companies can establish procedures and resources ahead of time.  

Hard Hat Courage also offers LEAD: Listen. Engage. Ask. Direct. Skills for Suicide Prevention, an action-oriented program designed for construction leaders and supervisors. The training uses construction-related scenarios to help participants recognize warning signs, practice difficult conversations, respond during a crisis, and connect someone with appropriate support. Click here to get more information. 

These are the kinds of resources that can turn good intentions into an actual workplace safety practice. 

NAWIC Members Can Help Lead the Change 

NAWIC members serve throughout the construction industry as owners, executives, project managers, estimators, engineers, tradeswomen, safety professionals, administrators, and mentors. That gives us an opportunity to help shape workplace culture. 

• We can ask whether mental health resources are included in safety programs. 

• We can bring a suicide prevention toolbox talk to a team meeting.  

• We can share 988 information.  

• We can learn the warning signs.  

• Most importantly, we can help create workplaces where asking for help is viewed as a sign of strength, not weakness. 

Construction depends on people watching out for one another. We already do it when someone is working at height, entering a confined space, or operating dangerous equipment. Suicide prevention asks us to extend that same mindset beyond the hazards we can see. 

If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to 988 or Hard Hat Courage today. You may save a life.