Breaking the Silence: Suicide Prevention and the Role of Safety Leaders
At ASSP Safety 2025, a panel of experts called on EHS professionals to recognize the warning signs of worker suicide, reduce stigma, and embrace their role in fostering psychological safety.
- By David Kopf
- Jul 28, 2025
Worker suicide is a crisis hiding in plain sight — and safety professionals have a critical role to play in addressing it. That was the central message of a panel discussion titled The Silent Hazard: Mental Health, Suicide Prevention and the Role of EHS Professionals, held July 23 at ASSP Safety 2025 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
Moderated by Linda Tapp, President of SafetyFUNdamentals, the discussion featured perspectives from clinical mental health, industry safety leadership, and labor-focused research and advocacy. The speakers stressed that suicide, mental illness, and substance use are not just personal struggles, they are occupational risks that demand upstream, systems-based interventions.
Georgia Bryce-Hutchinson, a licensed clinician and workplace mental health consultant, opened the session by outlining observable signs of crisis using the acronym IS PATH WARM: Ideation, Substance use, Purposelessness, Anxiety, Trapped feelings, Hopelessness, Withdrawal, Anger, Recklessness, and Mood changes. She emphasized the importance of psychological safety, an environment where workers feel secure in speaking up.
“If I feel included, if I feel respected on my job, if I feel that my voice matters, then if something is going on with me, I feel comfortable enough to find a leader and have a conversation,” Bryce-Hutchinson said.
Wesley Wheeler, Executive Director of Safety at NECA, built on that point, urging safety professionals to look beyond hardhats and harnesses. He noted that subtle changes in worker behavior, such as wearing the same clothes repeatedly or isolating from coworkers, can indicate deeper issues. He also called on the safety community to take the lead in connecting with HR and breaking down silos.
“If we train the construction workers, we’re not just reaching them — we’re reaching their families, their churches, their communities,” Wheeler said. “Safety is not a secret. We need to share everything.”
Christina Trahan Cain, Director of Safety & Health for the Building & Construction Trades Department at CPWR, took aim at the industry’s culture and systemic contributors to despair. She pointed to bullying, job insecurity, lack of access to healthcare, and chronic pain as jobsite factors that increase risk.
“We need to think about these diseases of despair as having upstream solutions,” Trahan Cain said. “You don’t have to be a psychologist to apply a systems-of-safety approach to this issue. It’s in your wheelhouse.”
Panelists also linked opioid use to suicide, citing statistics showing high rates of prescription painkiller dependency in construction. They advocated for increased mental health literacy, more visible promotion of resources like 988 and EAPs, and broader adoption of postvention plans to support teams after a loss.
The session closed with a call to action: equip safety professionals not just with fall protection — but with the training and confidence to start lifesaving conversations.
For free tools and mental health resources tailored to the construction industry, visit: https://preventconstructionsuicide.com
About the Author
David Kopf is the publisher and executive editor of Occupational Health & Safety magazine.