Member Mental Health and Wellbeing

NAHB is looking to change the culture in the construction industry around mental health awareness by providing resources specifically tailored to construction workers, managers, developers and business owners. The initiative is financially supported by the ASAE Research Foundation and the Job-Site Safety Institute.

NAHB is a national partner in Mental Health Action Day, joining more than 1,600 leading businesses, advocates and trade groups from across the country to turn mental health awareness into action.

If you, or someone you know, are currently experiencing a mental health crisis and feel that you may harm yourself, please dial 988 immediately, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the U.S.

Free Tools to Identify and Understand Issues

NAHB has partnered with leading experts to develop tools especially for members to identify and learn more about mental health and addiction issues:

HBA Pilot Program and Storytelling Videos

To focus on resources at the state HBA level, NAHB launched a pilot program with the North Carolina HBA. The Pilot Program confirmed that there is distress among NCHBA members and high stigma exists in construction for “mental health” as a topic. Read the full report from the pilot program and the key findings and recommendations.

The pilot program found that individual storytelling is especially helpful in engaging members. NAHB is featuring videos of members telling their personal stories about how mental health issues have impacted their lives and the lives around them. Watch the videos here.

Toolbox Talks and Resources for the Jobsite

Free resources from NAHB and partner organizations:

• Mental Health Toolkit (Marsh McLennan Agency)
• NAHB/Mindwise Mental Health Toolbox Talk
• How to Help in a Crisis Toolbox Talk
• The Importance of Sleep Toolbox Talk
• The Importance of Safety, Predictability, and Control
• Heal for the Holidays
• Mental Health Toolbox Talk (McCarthy)
• Suicide Prevention Toolbox Talk (McCarthy)

Understanding the Issues

At the 2020 Fall Leadership Meetings, Juli Bacon, Chair of NAHB’s Construction Safety and Health Committee, conducted an interview with Sally Spencer-Thomas, Psy.D, a clinical psychologist, discussing the impact of mental wellbeing on workers:

Articles and Webinars

• “Why the Construction Industry is a Pressure Cooker of Stress,” World Millwork Alliance’s Millwork & More Magazine, Dec. 2021 (pg. 10)
• “Building a Caring Culture: Addressing Mental Health in the Workplace,” whitepaper
• “Mental Health and Wellbeing in Construction: Impacts to Jobsite Safety,” Harwood Floors Magazine, June 1, 2021
• 2021 Behavioral Health Guidebook, Mindwise Innovations, June 2021
• “Hard Hats Aren’t Enough: Statistics Reveal Concerns for the Construction Industry” – BUILD Des Moines, April 2021
• “Worker Wellbeing & Behavioral Health,” World Millwork Alliance’s Millwork & More Magazine, Dec. 2020
• NAHB Leads the Charge on Member Mental Health and Wellbeing, NAHB Now, Nov. 17, 2020
• Safety on the Job Site - Video segment on TheHill.TV, Sept. 19, 2020
• Mental Wellbeing Becoming Increasingly Important for Construction Workers, NAHB Now, June 25, 2020

Additional Resources

At the NAHB 2020 Spring Leadership Meetings, Cal Beyer, Vice President of Workforce Risk & Worker Wellbeing at construction risk management firm CSDZ provided free resources for NAHB members:

• The Invisible Construction Crisis: Why Focus on Construction Workforce Risk?
• Mental Health Resources for Employers
• Toolbox Talk on Self-Care During the Pandemic
• Suicide Prevention Resources

NAHB has joined the Construction Alliance for Suicide Prevention in an effort to raise awareness of the prevalence of suicide in the construction industry. Use the Needs Analysis & Integration Checklist to evaluate your company’s preparedness for addressing mental health and suicide in the workplace, and be sure to review the 10 questions and 10 action steps companies can use to save lives.