Editor’s note: This story focuses on the topic of mental health and suicide. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
Dive Brief:
- Hard Hat Courage, a mental health aid initiative launched by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and contractor Bechtel, has reached over 188,000 craft and construction industry professionals since May 2025, AFSP announced Tuesday. That included about 165,000 who participated during Construction Suicide Prevention Week last week.
- First kick-started by Bechtel’s $7 million donation to AFSP in March 2024, the partnership launched Hard Hat Courage last month, sharing 15 new, construction-specific suicide prevention resources.
- The numbers indicate AFSP has made progress toward its goal of reaching half a million construction workers in five years.
Dive Insight:
Construction has the second-highest suicide rate of any industry, behind only mining, in the U.S., per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since 2020, Construction Suicide Prevention Week, a Kansas City-based nonprofit, has helped run the five-day period that gives the organization its name. Its fifth running wrapped up Sept. 12.
Now, AFSP has announced newly established or expanded partnerships with industry organizations to include Suicide Prevention Week, the National Center for Construction Education and Research and APM, a building construction and maintenance solutions provider.
In addition to Bechtel, several firms take part in a CEO advisory council for Hard Hat Courage. Featured members include Clark Construction, Dewalt, DPR Construction, Fluor, Kiewit, North America’s Building Trades Unions, Skanska and Turner Construction.
During 2025’s Construction Suicide Prevention Week, AFSP, Hard Hat Courage and partners:
- Hosted stand-downs for a moment of silence across 1,222 jobsites to honor lives lost to suicide.
- Rolled out Hard Hat Courage resources, including Talk Saves Lives: Construction, the first in a planned series of more than 50 toolbox talks to be released this year.
- Provided AFSP training for 92 employees to become Talk Saves Lives facilitators within their organizations.
- Presented three virtual sessions that were free and open to the public, attracting over 100 participants.
Since May 2025, 1,300 craft professionals have participated in the Talk Saves Lives program.
“In construction, we face some of the world’s toughest challenges, but none more urgent or personal than protecting the mental health of our people,” said Brendan Bechtel, chairman and CEO of Bechtel. The Reston, Virginia-based firm’s stand-downs included more than 32,500 participants across 53 locations this year.
“This isn’t a problem with a quick fix. It takes sustained leadership, courageous conversations, and real, practical support. Construction Suicide Prevention Week is a reminder that we are not powerless. We have a responsibility to lead with care and build a culture where no one struggles alone,” Bechtel said.
Suicide prevention initiatives extend beyond the official week in construction.
Earlier this year, AFSP and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers announced a partnership to deliver specialized suicide prevention programming at AEM industry trade shows and provide regular virtual training sessions for the construction workforce. AFSP will also bring its suicide prevention expertise and resources to the Utility Expo, North America’s largest trade show for utility professionals and construction contractors, held Oct. 7-9 in Louisville, Kentucky.
