Once a company has conducted its analysis and understands the readiness and need for implementing the checklist, take action to determine who might be in need. Importantly, this checklist should not be considered a “one-and-done” portion of a company’s processes and procedures. It should be a fluid, ever-present, update-when-necessary segment that is reviewed, studied and trained frequently. All managers, supervisors and even line employees must be aware of the company’s commitment to addressing risk factors and preventing suicide. CIASP wants to encourage construction industry employers to do whatever it takes to prevent possible suicides. They suggest making suicide part of company conversation so that talking about it becomes easier and less formal to get people comfortable with the topic. They ask that everyone STAND up to prevent suicide in the construction industry: Safe: Create a culture in which team members feel safe to ask for help or speak up if concerned about their fellow co-workers. Training: Make suicide prevention training available to all team members so they can recognize the warning signs and be equipped to help those at risk. Awareness: Raise awareness by sharing the message of suicide prevention through organizational activities such as training, safety meetings, toolbox talks, team meetings, newsletters, and social media posts. Normalizing: Normalize the topic of suicide prevention as a health and safety priority by talking about suicide, suicide prevention, and mental health. Decreasing: Help decrease the risk of suicide in construction by ensuring all team members have access to an awareness of CIASP’s action plans, behavioral health benefits, screening tools, community crisis support, the suicide prevention lifeline, and crisis text line. Something else to consider: suicide postvention. Postvention is described as the provision of crisis intervention and other support after a suicide has occurred to address and alleviate possible effects of suicide. The impact of traumatic events often leads people to react impulsively in ways that might cause further damage. It is important to stabilize your workforce as soon as possible to facilitate a return to what will certainly be a “new normal.” Perhaps the easiest way to present the message that your company takes addressing and preventing suicide seriously is to make sure they see that you do. You can easily do this with posters strategically placed in breakrooms, kitchens, restrooms, hallways and other communal spaces. The message does not have to be grand in nature nor elaborate in design; post the following information: HELP IS WITHIN REACH: • Visit www.preventconstructionsuicide.com • Call 988 or 800-273-TALK (8255), the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline • Text HOME to 741741, the Crisis Text Line • Visit www.crisistextline.org • Visit mentalhealthscreening.org for a mental health screening While suicides do not usually happen at work, this does not mean they cannot or that the industry is not suffering substantial costs. Implementing any – or all – of the suggestions outlined above can go a long way to making your business, and the asphalt industry, more prepared in the event of a tragedy. continued from page 25 Something extra for UAPA members: You can watch the webinar “Shining Light on Mental Health & Suicide Prevention” presented on March 2, 2022, to the Women of Asphalt by Cal Beyer, Vice President of Holmes Murphy & Associates, and Vince Hafeli from Ajax Paving. This webinar is hosted at the Women of Asphalt website on the Conversations to Lead and Inspire page, you can find it online at youtube.com/watch?v=hgvBKRqFoAA or scan this QR code. 26
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