By The Office of U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto introduced legislation to prevent suicide among construction workers. The Constructing the Path to Suicide Prevention Act would authorize a national study through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to collect data on the unique suicide risk factors facing construction workers that can be used to inform future suicide prevention programming.
This legislation is cosponsored by Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.).
The construction industry has the second-highest risk of suicide across all industries. In 2023, almost a fifth of deaths by suicide with a reported industry code were tied to construction, despite construction workers making up only 7% of the American workforce.
“From our homes to our offices, our roads to our favorite coffee shops, construction workers are responsible for building America,” saidSenator Cortez Masto.“But work in this industry presents distinct mental health risks, and we owe it to construction workers to find solutions. This legislation will give us the tools we need to combat the tragically high rate of suicide among construction workers and work to end the stigma around mental health on the jobsite.”
The CDC study authorized by the Constructing the Path to Suicide Prevention Act would investigate risk factors for deaths by suicide among construction workers, including employment and financial stability, history of substance and alcohol use, and access to essential resources like health care coverage, employment benefits, and employee assistance programs. The bill would also require the Department of Health and Human Services to submit a report to Congress on policy recommendations for future suicide prevention programming targeted to construction workers.
The Constructing the Path to Suicide Prevention Actis endorsed by the Southern Nevada Building Trades Unions, the Building and Construction Trades Council of Northern Nevada, the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, North America’s Building Trades Unions, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Laborers’ International Union of North America and the Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust.
The full text of this legislation can be found here. (Source: The Office of U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto)