Suicide rate among construction workers hits crisis levels
(FOX BUSINESS) – Kevin O’Shea, president of Shamrock Electric Co., Inc., has one vital message to construction workers who are struggling with their mental health: call him. It's a message he shares as much as possible given the growing number of suicides among workers in the industry. "I'm not a professional. I'm just some guy that would rather hear you tell me your story than hear your friend tell me your eulogy," O'shea told FOX Business.
While he isn't a professional in the medical sense, O'Shea has been in the industry for nearly five decades, and has come face to face with colleagues and employees who have considered suicide. O'Shea isn't a stranger to mental health issues either, admitting that he has found ways to deal with his tremors, ADHD and depression.
According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the construction industry has one of the highest suicide rates compared to other industries. About 56 out of 100,000 men in construction die by suicide, according to data published in 2021.