KeeleyLife: Suicide Awareness

September is suicide awareness month and this especially hits home to the construction industry. Our industry has the second highest rate of suicide over any other industry and the suicide rate is 4x higher than that of the national average. KeeleyLife strives to provide our people with the resources and tools they need to enhance their mental health and we want everyone who may be dealing with mental illness to know that they are not alone. Watch the video below to hear from Rob Miller, Vice President of Safety at Keeley Construction.

It is hard to understand exactly why the construction industry has such a high rate of suicide, but there are many factors that can be at play. Working in the construction industry can put people in high stress environments where they are completing dangerous tasks on a daily basis. Many times, they are working extensive hours which can add to stress and job strain. Increased stress, injury, and unstable work environments can all exacerbate existing depression and can even lead a person to develop depression if the stress is not dealt with properly.

Since forming KeeleyLife, we have been able to enhance our offerings and tailor our benefits to our team members’ needs. One of the benefits that we offer is an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides resources to help team members address mental health concerns and other stressors. Our EAP offers convenient access to licensed counselors who can help with short-term problem resolution and provides free one-on-one behavioral health sessions. Through our partnership with KeeleyU, we have a robust mental health library within our online Learning Management System (LMS). Finally, KeeleyLife offers wellness challenges throughout the year to encourage Keeley’ns to get involved and take time to assess their mental health and take the necessary steps to make positive change.

There are many free resources out there available to those struggling with mental health. The CDC has an entire page dedicated to preventing suicide in the construction industry where they list all of the relevant resources. Click here to learn more.

Remember – YOU ARE NOT ALONE