The goal is to build support among New York City Council members to address this growing crisis in construction through a package of new legislation. The first bill will amend the city’s building code so that mental health and wellness, suicide prevention and substance-misuse awareness are formally included in Site Safety Training (SST) requirements.

Under the proposed law, every one of those workers will now receive at least two hours of dedicated instruction on mental health and related risks. Within months of being enacted, hundreds of thousands of workers across New York City would be better equipped to recognize warning signs, support one another and help reduce mental health stigma.

Addressing suicide also means acknowledging the factors that contribute to it, including substance abuse. Many workers turn to substance use to cope. The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that the rate of substance use disorder among construction workers is twice as high as the general adult population. A recent study by the New York City Health and Buildings Departments confirmed this reality, finding that construction workers lead all occupational groups in overdose deaths. For those who are struggling, opioid antagonists can reverse the deadly effects of opioids, offering a chance for recovery and survival.

New legislation will also be introduced that will require the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide five opioid antagonist kits to every major building construction site. The bill would also require DOHMH to train site safety professionals in administering the medication and training workers themselves.

National efforts are also underway to combat suicide among construction workers. A partnership spurred by Bechtel Corporation—which made a $7 million donation to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in May 2024—has helped the industry make strides in its goal of aiding half a million building and construction trade workers.

Hard Hat Courage, a mental health aid initiative launched by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the contracting and engineering corporation, Bechtel, has reached over 188,000 craft and construction industry professionals since May 2025, AFSP announced on Sept. 16. That included about 165,000 who participated during Construction Suicide Prevention Week at the start of September.

Each year, more than 5,000 construction workers die by suicide. That is five times higher than the number who die from jobsite accidents or injuries. Construction has the second-highest suicide rate of any industry, only behind mining, in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since 2020, Construction Suicide Prevention Week, a Kansas City-based nonprofit, has helped run five-day conferences that give the organization its name. The fifth annual conference, which concluded on Sept. 12, now seeks to establish or expand partnerships with industry organizations to include the National Center for Construction Education and Research and APM, a building construction and maintenance solutions provider.

In addition to Bechtel, several firms take part in a CEO advisory council for Hard Hat Courage, including the North America’s Building Trades Unions, Clark Construction, Dewalt, DPR Construction, Fluor, Kiewit, Skanska and Turner Construction.

“In construction, we face some of the world’s toughest challenges, but none more urgent or personal than protecting the mental health of our people,” said Brendan Bechtel, chairman and CEO of Bechtel, which is based in Reston, VA.

“This isn’t a problem with a quick fix. It takes sustained leadership, courageous conversations and real, practical support. Construction Suicide Prevention Week is a reminder that we are not powerless. We have a responsibility to lead with care and to build a culture where no one struggles alone,” Mr. Bechtel said.