‘The New Focus Four’ Addresses Mental Health and Risk in Construction at ASSP Safety 2025
A forward-looking session at Safety 2025 urges construction leaders to address suicide, substance use, and mental health alongside traditional safety hazards.
- By Stasia DeMarco
- Jul 23, 2025
Suicide, opioids, motor vehicle incidents, and falls were in the spotlight during a powerful session titled “The New Focus Four” at the ASSP Safety 2025 Conference. The session called attention to a broader, evolving view of risk in the construction industry—one that extends beyond traditional physical hazards to include mental and behavioral health.
Robert Labbe, Vice President of Risk Engineering Services at American Global LLC, urged safety professionals and company leaders to confront the reality of suicide in the construction workforce.
“There are close to 49,000 people in the U.S. who die by suicide each year,” Labbe said. “Roughly 6,000 of those are in construction.” He emphasized that prevention efforts must begin at the ground level to have a meaningful impact across organizations.
“We hear this all the time—we cannot separate home from work. It’s not possible, especially when managing complex construction projects,” he said. “So, what happens when this issue shows up on your job site? It could impact more than one person, and we need more CEOs thinking about that reality.”
Labbe stressed the importance of direct engagement and observation, noting that recognizing warning signs and reaching out to struggling employees is critical. He pointed to the value of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) as an underused but vital tool. “Managers need to understand what someone is going through,” he said. “Having access to an EAP means they can get support—not just for their team, but for themselves in knowing how to respond.”
Labbe added that the construction industry is beginning to invest in systems that better identify early signs of mental health challenges. Organizations are working on implementing supportive infrastructure before an employee reaches a crisis point.
“The goal is to give workers what they need before a crisis escalates,” he said.
The New Focus Four session marked a shift toward a more holistic view of safety, acknowledging the interplay between emotional well-being, substance use, and high-risk environments. As mental health becomes a growing concern across industries, construction leaders are being challenged to respond with both compassion and strategy.
About the Author
Stasia DeMarco is the Content Editor for OH&S.