Advancing the Conversation about Suicide Prevention

Clark’s safety culture is rooted in 24/7 care for the wellbeing of team members, industry stakeholders, and the community. With a higher-than-average number of suicides in the construction industry, we are committed to normalizing conversations about suicide prevention and equipping teams to support one another’s mental health.

Talking openly about mental health and suicide prevention is a natural extension of Clark’s guiding safety principle: nobody gets hurt. During Construction Suicide Prevention Week in September, Clark continued a campaign designed to normalize asking for help or speaking up to support a team member.

Clark teams held stand downs to speak openly about suicide, including risk factors and resources, such as 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Teams also participated in toolbox talks to learn to recognize warning signs and support suicide prevention. Through these discussions, team members also acknowledged the idea that each of their lives are bigger than themselves, with family and friends who love and rely on them.

The need is great: construction has the second highest rate of any industry, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nationally, in 2021 an estimated 12.3 million adults in the United States seriously considered suicide, 3.5 million planned a suicide attempt, and 1.7 million attempted suicide.

“All the data points to the necessity of advancing the conversation about suicide prevention, especially among construction team members,” says Corporate Safety Director Greg Colevas. “As an industry leader in safety, Clark is committed to being part of the solution.”

Clark’s suicide prevention strategy draws from the LEARN framework developed by Forefront Suicide Prevention at the University of Washington:

• Look for signs
• Empathize and listen
• Ask directly about suicide 
• Remove the dangers 
• Next steps. 

This September, Clark began distributing conversation cards aligned with the LEARN framework to help employees connect with others about mental health, including someone in crisis. Worn in a safety vest pocket, the card identifies the wearer as someone ready to listen to those who may be in crisis. The cards offer research based suggestions to help forge positive conversations and connections:

• "I'm here to listen."
• "I hear you."
• It's OK to ask for support."
• "That sounds hard."
• "Thank you for sharing with me."
• "Are you OK?"
• "Are you thinking about killing yourself?"

With these resources in place to help identify those who may be struggling and build connections so that those in the industry seek help when needed, Clark is dedicated to deepening support of all team members’ mental health.