Construction workers have significantly higher rates of injuries, fatalities, death by suicide, and overdose deaths than American workers overall. For example, although construction workers are only about 7% of the entire workforce, they were 20% of on-the-job fatalities and 16% of opioid overdoses. As the chart to the right shows, in 2023 there were 982 fatal injuries among construction workers — and 15,910 fatal overdoses and 5,095 suicides.
CPWR has developed free, practical tools — including toolbox talks, infographics, hazard alerts, and training programs — to help prevent opioid overdoses and suicides and to improve worker well-being. We’ve contributed to the peer-reviewed literature on these topics as well. These tools and research outputs are available on the following pages, which also offer important resources from others.
- Resources to Prevent Opioid Deaths in Construction
- Resources to Prevent Suicide Deaths in Construction
Latest Resources from CPWR
Suicide rates for male construction workers are almost twice as high as for working men overall. Construction workers overall account for about 17% of overdose deaths among the working population, even though they are only about 8% of the U.S. workforce. CPWR partners with North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) and people across the industry to develop and share strategies for improving workers’ mental health, including preventing deaths from suicide and opioids. These efforts include REASON (Resources and Effective programs Addressing Suicide and Opioids Now), a quarterly newsletter that shares solutions, research, and resources, and five research studies funded by CPWR designed to advance knowledge and action.
If you or someone you know needs immediate help, please contact:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline— a free and confidential (U.S.) resource that connects individuals with skilled, trained counselors 24/7. Call 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
Use the online Lifeline Crisis Chat
or or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting “HELLO” to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor.