Building on Progress to Prevent Suicide
Construction Suicide Prevention Week turns awareness into action to save lives.
- By David Kopf
- Sep 14, 2026
Safety professionals spend their careers working to ensure people return home safely at the end of every shift. In construction, that typically means preventing falls, electrocutions, struck-by incidents and other hazards that can cause injuries and fatalities.
However, the numbers surrounding suicide make clear that protecting construction workers extends beyond jobsite hazards.
According to CPWR — The Center for Construction Research and Training, 5,095 construction workers ages 16 to 64 died by suicide in 2023, compared with 982 who died from workplace injuries. Put another way, roughly five construction workers died by suicide for every worker who died from an on-the-job incident.
There is, encouraging news. CPWR data show construction worker suicides declined 1.7 percent in 2024, from roughly 5,100 to 5,000 deaths. The suicide rate also fell from 43.2 to 41.9 deaths per 100,000 workers. That’s progress, even if 5,000 deaths reamains too many. That combination of progress and unfinished work is at the heart of this year’s Construction Suicide Prevention Week, Sept. 14-18 (https://constructionsuicideprevention.com). The 2026 theme is “Building on Progress,” which is appropriate given the 2024 decline.
The campaign itself has become a concerted industry effort. Started in 2019 by construction industry volunteers, CSPW is now supported by a steering committee representing contractors, labor, trade associations, safety organizations, mental health organizations and others. More than 500,000 construction workers registered to participate in 2025, up from 418,433 the previous year.
Suicide prevention doesn’t require safety professionals to become mental health professionals. But they can help create a workplace where workers feel safe to ask for help; supervisors recognize when someone is struggling; and everyone knows where to turn when a co-worker needs support. Safety professionals are well positioned to help that effort. They already have the communications tools and opportunities to reach workers: safety meetings, toolbox talks, training sessions and regular conversations about hazards and prevention.
For this year’s CSPW, employers can participate through toolbox talks, videos, speakers, workforce communications, training and other activities. Perhaps the simplest and most powerful opportunity comes Monday, Sept. 14, when jobsites nationwide are being asked to stop for one minute of silence at 2:50 p.m. ET/11:50 a.m. PT to remember those lost to suicide.
Sixty seconds isn’t much to ask. But stopping an entire jobsite sends an unmistakable message: Mental health is worker health, and preventing suicide is part of protecting workers.
CSPW’s 2026 pledge ask participants to learn at least one new way to seek help for someone in need. That’s something every safety professional can do. Participate in the stand-down. Hold a toolbox talk. Learn where to turn for help. Start a conversation.
The construction industry has made progress. Let’s build on it.
This article originally appeared in the September 2026 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
About the Author
David Kopf is the Executive Editor of Occupational Health & Safety and the Group Publisher of the Security-Safety Group at 1105 Media.