Part 1: Shining Light on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Construction
Mental health is an invisible crisis in construction. Nationally in the construction industry, more workers die annually by suicide than by all occupational injuries combined. This session focuses on WHY these topics are an imperative for construction leaders at all levels.
Learn how a culture of caring and wellbeing can reduce the serious risks of substance misuse and suicide. Learn what you and your company can do to help promote mental wellbeing and reduce risk of suicide among your workforce and our industry.
Learning Objectives
• Demonstrate how to break the stigma of mental health and suicide
• Illustrate why mental health, substance misuse and suicide prevention are workplace issues
• Identify the industry and demographic risk factors that lead to suicide
• Outline action steps to address these issues in your organization
1pm-1:30pm (those who need to leave will be able to at 1pm, our normal ending time)
Part 2: When & How to Talk to Workers About Mental Health and Suicide
Prevention
This session focuses on when AND how to talk to construction workers about behavioral health. This will help your organization break the stigma around mental health. The session will highlight specific opportunities to talk to construction workers about mental wellbeing, substance use disorders, Employee Assistance Program, and suicide prevention. The session will include an overview of the LEARN Saves Lives® model for engaging workers in discussion around suicide prevention.
Learning Objectives
• Recognize the services available from an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Identify the warning signs of emotional pain and suicide
• Demonstrate the LEARN Saves Lives® model for safety conversations
• Share resources for employers
Speaker:
Cal Beyer, CWP, SCTPP is Vice President of Workforce Risk & Worker Wellbeing for Holmes Murphy & Associates. While working for a hot mix asphalt producer and paving contractor in the Pacific Northwest he launched the mental health and suicide prevention movement in the US construction industry. He serves on the Executive Committee of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention; the Expert Advisory Groups for the Center for Workplace Mental Health; Heritage CARES, and the Lived Experience Advisory Committee of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center.
Cal was instrumental in the formation of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention. Engineering News-Record (ENR) recognized him as a Top 25 Newsmaker for 2016. The National Association of Home Builders presented him with an award for mental health industry advocacy in 2022. He is a frequent presenter at national construction conferences and frequent contributor to construction industry publications.