Two Potentially Life-Changing Resources Now Available to NAHB Members

As a part of its focus on member mental health and wellbeing, NAHB has launched two new tools that could help members identify and better understand issues they may be having with mental health, substance abuse, or addiction, especially after the extremely stressful year brought by the pandemic.

In a joint effort between the NAHB Construction Safety and Health Committee and the Construction Liability, Risk Management, and Building Materials Committee, 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.

"Too often, we disregard the mental health concerns of professionals in the home building industry," said Gary Hill, Chairman of the NAHB Construction Safety and Health Committee. "Mental health is a safety issue on the jobsite, and these resources are intended to keep workers safe, both physically and mentally."

Tools Help Identify and Understand Key Issues

The resources include two new tools from mental health and addiction experts designed to identify and understand issues before they become urgent. Through a partnership with MindWise Innovations, NAHB is pleased to announce the availability of an online screening tool that enables members to take an anonymous self-assessment and, depending on the outcome, guides them to a customized set of resources that can connect them with appropriate services to address mental health and/or addiction issues.

NAHB has also made available a learning portal customized for the construction industry from ShatterProof. Through the JustFive NAHB portal, members can learn more about substance abuse disorder in five-minute modules.

Users can learn more about their risks and those around them. Both resources are available to members, and anyone in the construction industry including friends and family, free of charge on the NAHB Member Health and Wellbeing page on nahb.org.

"It is important that NAHB step up as a Federation and address this issue head-on," said Randy Strauss, chairman of the NAHB Construction Liability, Risk Management, and Building Materials Committee. "We strongly encourage all members to share this information with their workers and trades partners and for HBAs to make them available to their membership."

NAHB cares deeply about the safety and health of its members and everyone in the residential construction industry. By turning our attention to what's under the hardhat, we can treat the whole person. For questions about NAHB’s mental health and wellbeing imitative, please contact David Jaffe.