It’s National Suicide Prevention Month
Haydon Builds the Way for Making Mental Health and Suicide Prevention a Safety Priority
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
It might be a surprise that the construction industry has a higher-than-average suicide rate, but Haydon Safety Manager Fernando Juarez knows this all too well.
“I’ve seen and experienced this with a coworker at a previous company,” he said. “One day he left our job site, and he didn’t make it home. There were no clear signs or evidence, and that was tough. That was 2014 and I’ve been talking about it ever since. And now as a Safety Manager I see the whole company. I like to talk to the guys and have our ‘Dr. Phil’ sessions.”
Haydon has a tradition of talking about suicide prevention – not just during this Suicide Prevention Month, but frequently. And reminders are everywhere, including magnets and stickers employees wear on their hard hats: “Call our EAP… STANDUP for Suicide Prevention (888-628-4824).”
During Construction Suicide Prevention Week each September, safety meetings include a Toolbox Talk with information on the warning signs of suicide, tips on how to talk with someone at risk of suicide, how to talk about mental health and suicide in general – and making mental health and suicide prevention a safety priority at the company.
Haydon’s Director of Human Resources Jill Vipond shared, “We all have a lot of stressors in life between personal and work. Sometimes it’s hard to express feelings, especially in a male-dominated work environment. At Haydon, we care about our employees, and we want to show our support by letting them know we are there for them. It’s a tough business. It can be high stress.”
Haydon employees can talk with their manager or HR, but sometimes they need to talk to someone who is not part of their day. The company offers tools through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that offers free confidential 24/7 hotline support. There’s also the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or the Crisis Text Line (text Hello to 741741). And Haydon employees can use paid time off for mental health days.
“It’s a stigma,” said Fernando. “It’s common to think we’re all ‘tough’ people. We don’t need to be talking about mental health. But when it comes to safety, we all have our reasons we work safely (like family) and the same applies to mental health. It’s good to talk.”
