Have the Talk,
Save a Life
Learning how to have
difficult conversations can be
a lifesaving skill
By Owen Stockden, LivingWorks
W hen you think of the biggest risks on your work-site,
what comes to mind? Most people think
about accidents, hazards or safety procedures not
being followed. They’re often surprised to learn that the big-gest
danger to construction workers is suicide.
On average, accidental death rates in the Canadian con-struction
industry are around 14.8 per 100,000 people,
whereas suicide death rates for construction workers are 53.2
per 100,000. Both numbers are too high – but the suicide rate
is nearly four times higher. In fact, construction has some of
the highest suicides of all sectors, and analysts have worked
hard to figure out why. Their conclusions? Demanding tasks,
inconsistent work and a culture that encourages people to
try and “tough it out” are all contributing factors. The recent
stoppages with COVID-19 will only exacerbate these factors.
While we may not be able to impact these factors, we
can take significant measures to keep construction workers
safe and alive. How? Well, the good news is that the major-ity
of suicides can be prevented, and the even better news
is that you don’t need to be a mental health professional to
help save someone’s life. When it comes to suicidal ideation,
knowing the signs and symptoms, knowing how to talk to
someone if you notice something is wrong and how to con-nect
them to support can make a difference and save some-one
from suicide.
If you want to be a helper, an effective way to achieve
that is through proper training – for some options, visit
www.livingworks.net. Like anything on the job site, having
the right training will help you be more confident and effec-tive
and keep you and your team members safe. In effect,
your training will give you a more robust and hands-on ver-sion
of the steps outlined below.
Konstantin Pelikh/123rf
20 www.albertaheavy.ca
/www.livingworks.net
/www.albertaheavy.ca
