ARTBA Urges Members to Sign Suicide Awareness Proclamation

What’s happening: ARTBA is backing a national campaign announced Feb. 7 by Ajax Paving of Florida President Vince Hafeli to spread awareness of the suicide epidemic plaguing the construction sector.

Why it matters: There are more than 5,500 construction industry suicides annually. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, that equates to 45.3 suicides per 100,000 workers, or 3 _ times greater than the national average.

‘We just can’t afford to ignore this crisis any longer,’ Hafeli says. ‘Our industry must take steps to help our workers cope with mental health and its frequently tragic outcome—suicide.’

Source: CDC

What you can do: The centerpiece of Hafeli’s initiative is a ‘Suicide in Construction Awareness Proclamation,’ which seeks signatures from those who commit to address construction industry suicides with open communication, mental health support systems, and safe and healthy work environments.

Sign the proclamation now. And ask your colleagues to do the same.

The desired outcome: Hafeli will hit the road to speak at industry events and share his personal story. His ambitious goal: garner 700,000 signatures by December 2024.

Pictured above: Ajax Paving of Florida President Vince Hafeli (podium) Feb. 7 successfully generated signatures for a new “Suicide in Construction Awareness” proclamation during the Florida Transportation Builders’ Association Construction Conference in Orlando. FTBA President Ananth Prasad (first on the left) signed the document, as did Immediate Past ARTBA Chair Ward Nye (second from right) and ARTBA President Dave Bauer (fifth from the right). Photo courtesy of Ajax Paving.