Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 25
Wellness & Well-being Highlights
for the
Week of Nov 25, 2024
This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at the departure of Nichole Dawsey, one of the finest Public Health professionals to grace STL’s harm reduction arena—to how enemies of the USA and Western European countries have moved beyond spying to gain advantages—to WashU’s efforts to start a law clinic for Veterans. This week I would like to take this opportunity to address a White Paper & website that explores the mental health issues of the UK’s construction industry.
A few of you may know that I have been “banging a drum” for approximately 2 years now regarding the issue of Suicide Postvention…actually, the lack of attention this topic has received vs the plethora of Suicide Prevention & Intervention programs available. More specifically, how we as an industry can address the First 48 hours following a suicide incident (death or attempt)…the “acute” phase of the postvention process! In so doing, I have recently reached out to subject matter experts (academics and those with lived experiences) here and abroad. I have found it refreshing to see how many people are committed to taking action now vs waiting for others to prescribe a solution. To this end, a researcher, Dr Susie Bennett, at the University of Glasgow has been a huge help in connecting me with her UK colleagues already working in this space. Below I will highlight the aforementioned projects.
On one hand, the ”Behind the Hi-Vis” White Paper sheds some light on the scale and magnitude of the mental health crisis in the UK’s construction industry.1 Here are some facts and figures:
- >90% of tradesworkers have been impacted by mental health
- Most common factor = finances
- >80% of tradesworkers who work alone experience mental health issues
- Mainly anxiety and depression
- Nearly 70% of tradesworkers report low motivation
- Most are misusing drugs and/or alcohol to mitigate the above
- Nearly 50% of tradesworkers w/ MH issues felt unsupported by their workplaces
- This crisis requires urgent attention: Companies must adopt a proactive stance
On the other hand, more specifically, “The Lost City” takes an approach that allows one to “visualize” the industry’s suicide crisis via their website.2 Suggesting a city that might have been if it were not for the 7k deaths by suicide—over the past decade—in the UK’s construction sector. As such, here is a sampling of what goes missing:
- ~3 hospitals
- ~8 supermarkets/retail units
- 1 high rise
- 150k houses
- 200 apartments blocks
- 78 schools….
As a visual learner, I found the latter to be very effective in getting their point across. While these resources do not directly address the postvention issue, they provide additional information for ALL of us to consider in our suicide prevention and intervention efforts. Often, we hear the phrase “You are not alone” when it comes to one’s mental health. As an industrial sector, it is clear that “We are not alone.”
[2]https://www.thelostcity.org/
Trump / Homelessness / Mental Illness
Canada / MH / First Responders
How/Why ODs deaths have decreased?
Russia & China utilizing gangs in Europe & USA
How US arrests made Mexico more violent
Big Tech / Kids / Online Safety
White Paper on Construction & Suicide
>50% of workers regret Open Enrollment Choices
Is your city prepared for Climate Change?
Upcoming webinars, etc.:
International Apprenticeship Conference (1/13/25)
NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact johngaal@moaflcio.org with related questions or comments.
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