From the Desk of Chris Trahan Cain, Executive Director | | | Construction Suicide Prevention Week | | |
Five times as many construction workers die each year from suicide as from work-related incidents. Construction Suicide Prevention Week, which begins Monday, provides an opportunity to discuss the unique challenges our industry’s workers face that contribute to suicide and what we can do to prevent it. The week includes a stand-down and moment of silence on Monday at 2:50 p.m. ET to honor those lost. CPWR has a range of resources aimed at preventing suicide deaths and addressing contributing factors, including Toolbox Talks, Hazard Alert Cards, infographics, and trainings. You can also register for next week's webinar examining the latest data on construction worker mental health (see below) and watch last month’s webinar about a new publication, Talking About Suicide in Construction: Safe Messaging Guidelines, in English or Spanish. All CPWR’s resources are free and are designed to raise awareness, foster change, and provide guidance on helping oneself or others who may be struggling.
| | TOOLS FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH | | |
Interactive Construction Chart Book Reaches 39 Dashboards
The final three dashboards planned for the 7th edition Interactive Construction Chart Book were posted earlier this week. They cover mental health, compensation costs and hourly wages, and transportation injuries. Coming later this month is the PDF version of the 7th edition, with chapters covering topics such as employment trends, worker demographics, hazards and exposures, and illnesses and injuries.
Foundations for Safety Leadership for Residential Construction Now in Spanish
Since 2017, more than one million people have learned from the Foundations for Safety Leadership (FSL). This highly interactive training program teaches foremen, supervisors, and other front-line leaders on job sites about the costs of ineffective, and the benefits of effective, safety leadership, such as improved safety climate and reduced negative safety outcomes. The FSL has been adapted into the Foundations for Safety Leadership for Residential Construction (FSL4Res), which targets the unique safety issues found in the residential construction sector, particularly fall hazards -- the sector’s major cause of workplace fatalities. The FSL4Res in now available in Spanish, either as a single 2.5-hour session or as four 30-minute and a short booster session.
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CPWR Reopens Small Study Program
We are excited to again invite researchers to submit letters of intent to conduct research under our Small Studies Program. We are currently modifying the program guidelines to adjust to the uncertainty of NIOSH funding this grant year. Applicants will need to meet a short, hard deadline for letters of intent, provide quick turnarounds if asked for a full proposal, and complete the period of performance by August 2026. When the revised application process is finalized, we will update our Small Studies Program page and quickly send out a brief announcement with details and deadlines.
Participate in CPWR Heat Safety Research
The multiple efforts to develop standards to address occupational heat stress point out heat's impact on construction workers, including increased risk of traumatic injuries like falls, decreased physical work capacity, and life-threatening illness in the form of heatstroke. CPWR has begun a study to better understand the impacts of heat stress and to develop effective strategies for managing it, and we are looking for contractors to participate in the research. Learn more from this flyer.
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Thursday, September 11 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern (30-45 minutes)
New Data on Mental Health among Construction Workers & Other CPWR Resources
Mental health issues such as anxiety, psychological distress, and suicide remain prevalent among construction workers. Taking place during Construction Suicide Prevention Week, this webinar will review the latest industry data on construction worker mental health by looking at the mental health dashboard in CPWR's new Interactive Construction Chart Book and will share CPWR resources that can be used to help both leadership and workers better understand and address these issues, including the factors that contribute to them.
Moderator: Chris Trahan Cain, CIH, Executive Director, CPWR
Panelists:
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Amber Trueblood, DrPH, Director, Data Center, CPWR
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Derek Dufoe, MS, Research Assistant, Data Center, CPWR
Click here to register and submit questions for our panelists in advance.
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September 4, Cedarville, IA – Hawkeye on Safety Conference
2:00 p.m. -- "Prevention of Heat-Related Illnesses and Injuries in Construction"
- Gavin West, Director, Health Research, CPWR
CPWR will be exhibiting at this conference
September 15, online – The Case for Safety podcast
"How You Can Make a Difference in Preventing Suicide in Construction"
- Chris Trahan Cain, Executive Director, CPWR
September 19-21, Chicago – Tradeswomen Build Nations
9/20, 1:15-2:45 and 9/21, 10:45-12:30 – “Prevention of Heat-Related Illnesses and Injuries in Construction”
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Jamie Becker, Director, Health Promotion, Laborers' Health & Safety Fund of North America
- Sonya Bohmann, Executive Director, Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention
- Jessica Bunting, Director, Research to Practice, CPWR
- Alanna Marklund, Special Representative, Youth, Diversity and Indigenous Relations, United Association Canada
CPWR will be exhibiting at this conference
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