Addressing suicide and substance use in construction: A Canadian industry-research partnership

Reasons for the study

Construction workers are exposed to diverse physical hazards in the workplace and have some of the highest rates of work-related injury and illness in Canada. While industry prevention efforts have primarily focused on mitigating physical risks, there is increasing recognition that physical hazards (and resulting injuries/pain),—together with workplace psychosocial stressors, long hours, schedule instability, and norms of masculinity and stoicism— pose risks to workers’ mental health.

Canadian construction industry stakeholders are increasingly identifying suicide and substance use as urgent priorities. International evidence reveals construction workers face disproportionately high rates of “deaths of despair” (suicide, drug poisoning, alcohol-attributable mortality), as well as suicidal behaviours and problematic substance use, relative to other occupations. However, statistics on the scope of the problem and its risk factors in Canada are lacking. Efforts to address these issues are also fragmented and reactive, with limited coordination across the sector and a lack of insight on promising strategies for prevention and management of suicide and substance use in the workplace.

Keeping workers in the Canadian construction industry healthy and productive is vital to achieving national and provincial housing and infrastructure priorities. Yet the sector also faces productivity pressures and labour shortages, conditions that may converge to intensify risks of psychological distress and substance use. We are at a critical juncture: industry partners recognize the need for action but require guidance to act effectively. The objective of this project is to establish a national partnership among researchers, industry stakeholders, and mental health experts to co-produce evidence needed to inform and prioritize actionable strategies to reduce the burden of suicide and substance use in the construction workforce.

Objectives of the study

Target audience

Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD), Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), occupational health and safety (OHS) policy-makers and decision-makers, workers’ compensation boards, skilled trade employers, workers in the skilled trades, labour, OHS professionals, mental health professionals