NAHB Leads the Charge on Member Mental Health and Wellbeing
NAHB Second Vice Chairman Jerry Konter recently spoke to members about NAHB's commitment to addressing the critical issue of mental health and suicide prevention in our industry, noting that "Industry associations like ours have a role to play in promoting the importance of worker health and wellbeing to our members."
During the Fall Leadership Meetings, Konter shared a video of an interview conducted by Juli Bacon, Chair of NAHB's Construction Safety and Health Committee, with Sally Spencer-Thomas, Psy.D, a clinical psychologist, and author of We Can’t Fix Mental Health with Duct Tape: A New Frontier in Safety (Safety Decisions Magazine | Spring/Summer 2019), who has spoken and written extensively on issues of mental health and suicide prevention.
Among other things, Bacon discussed with Spencer-Thomas, why mental health and suicide have only recently been considered construction safety priorities; why those working in construction are at risk for mental health issues and how this impacts job site safety; what factors contribute to the construction industry having a higher rate of suicide risk; and strategies to raise awareness of mental health issues and improve members wellbeing. View the video below.
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The interview is part of a new NAHB initiative on member mental health and wellbeing. Specific goals of the initiative include:
- Improving awareness
- Facilitating discussion
- Destigmatizing mental health and addiction
- Taking a leadership position moving forward