Suicide is a leading cause of death among working age adults in the United States. Industry leaders and employers can make a difference and save lives by addressing mental health and suicide prevention in the workplace. Like all workplace fatalities, suicides can be prevented.
Know the Warning Signs of Suicide
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness the following behaviors indicate suicide risk:
- Increased alcohol and drug use
- Aggressive behavior
- Withdrawal from friends, family and community
- Dramatic mood swings
- Impulsive or reckless behavior
- Collecting and saving pills or buying a weapon
- Giving away possessions
- Tying up loose ends, like organizing personal papers or paying off debts
- Saying goodbye to friends and family.
Employers can take steps to safeguard the mental health of their workers. Get started here.
Organizational commitment to workplace mental health and well-being helps to reduce the stigma of mental illness, and increases access to critical resources. Join in workplace suicide prevention efforts by raising awareness and providing resources that could make a difference. Like other workplace fatalities, there are measures employers can take to help prevent suicide.
General Suicide Prevention Resources
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (Resource Page)
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (Resource Page )
Workplace Suicide Prevention Resources
- Workplace Suicide Prevention (Resource Page, Suicide Prevention Resource Center)
- Suicide and Occupation (Resource Page, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)
- Suicide Prevention: 5 Things You Should Know (PDF, Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
Suicide Prevention Videos
- How Do I Ask if Someone is Ok? (8:17 minutes, PBS – YouTube Video)
In this video, a licensed therapist brings together three young people to share their lived experience with suicide and how to ask someone if they're having thoughts of suicide. - First Aid for Mental Health (17:51 minutes, TEDx Talks – YouTube Video)
Thomas Ihde talks about the uncomfortable side of mental health, about stigma, and how we can change it by stepping into someone else's shoes.
Statistically, some industries are considered high risk for suicide. According to CDC data, suicide deaths are highest in the following five industry groups:
- Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
- Construction
- Other Services, like automotive repair
- Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting
- Transportation and Warehousing
Occupation Specific Suicide Prevention Resources
Agriculture
- Farmworker Stress and Anxiety Resources (Resource Page, Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center)
- Rural Response to Farmer Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (Resource page, Rural Health Information Hub)
Construction
- Mental Health & Suicide Prevention in Construction (Resource Page, Associated General Contractors)
- Preventing Suicides in Construction (Resource Page, Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
- Prevent Construction Suicide (Resource Page, Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention)
- Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Resources (Resource Page, WA Chapter Associated General Contractors)
Suicide Prevention Toolbox Talks
- Mental Health and Suicide Prevention - Construction Workplace Toolbox Talk (PDF, SafeBuild)
- Toolbox Talks (Word Docs, Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP) Board of Trustees)
- Suicide, Addiction, and Mental Health - Meeting Toolbox Talk (PDF, Associated General Contractors)
- Construction Fatality Narrative: Construction Supervisor Dies by Suicide (PDF, Washington State Fatality Assessment & Control Evaluation Program)