The Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Safety Association is leading a task force that is making strides toward creating suicide safer construction communities by implementing Networks of Safety across the industry.
Tammy McCabe, the Manager of Communications and Industry Relations for the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Safety Association says there have been many individuals trained in both LivingWorks safeTALK and LivingWorks ASIST who are now in a position and have the capacity to respond in the event someone is having a mental health crisis.
McCabe says this initiative to create suicide safer construction communities across the province really took off in 2020 at an annual health and safety conference. After being introduced to the MATES in Construction model and consulting with top suicidologist Jorgen Gullestrup, the plans to implement suicide prevention skills training began to come to fruition.
Suicide safer construction communities
“In 2021, in partnership with SafetyNet and the Center for Occupational Health and Safety Research at Memorial University, the NLCSA hosted a leadership roundtable with over 100 industry leaders from across the province made up of all stakeholders,” says McCabe. “Senior executives from construction employers, senior officials with labor unions, the Government and our workers compensation commission at WorkplaceNL – we engaged the entire industry to highlight what we’re hearing and introduce them to this model.”
As a result of these conversations, a suicide prevention taskforce was created to begin implementing suicide prevention skills training throughout construction communities around the province.
“We’re really proud of this peer-based program, where we create a network of support to help look out for each other. In doing that, we are raising awareness and creating mental health literacy that hopefully ensures people will access resources in a timely manner,” says McCabe.
Creating safety
John Dinn, a LivingWorks ASIST and safeTALK Trainer and a Workplace Mental Health Coordinator for the Canadian Mental Health Association’s NL branch, recently trained more than 30 construction workers on-site in Argentia, NL.
“The feedback was very positive. People really found it to be an eye-opening experience and life-changing in a lot of ways. They have the resources, confidence and skills to help someone else and help themselves,” says Dinn. “We have done several LivingWorks safeTALK trainings to help build those connectors into these construction sites, and they are someone anyone can approach and provide that peer support.”
Dinn worked in various roles in the mental health and addiction sectors throughout a 28-year career. After retiring in 2016, he joined the Canadian Mental Health Association and became a LivingWorks program trainer, saying he knew he had more left to give.
“One in five people may experience a mental health illness within a year. But five in five of us have mental health that we need to take care of year-round.”
– John Dinn, LivingWorks program Trainer
On top of his commitment to keeping the construction industry safer from suicide, Dinn highlighted the CMHA is working to provide LivingWorks ASIST and safeTALK training workshops to non-profit organizations across Newfoundland and Labrador.
“We’re looking at about 1500 people trained in LivingWorks ASIST and 750 trained in LivingWorks safeTALK. That is great for increasing safety in all the different non-profit sectors across the province.”
Making strides
Of the LivingWorks ASIST and safeTALK workshops delivered in the construction community thus far, McCabe says the feedback has been amazing.
“I had someone come up to me and say the LivingWorks ASIST training was the most impactful training they have ever done,” says McCabe. “The construction industry is truly amazing, and they want to help each other. They have huge hearts, and if they can do something to help someone else, then that’s what they’ll do.”
McCabe says this initiative will create a more inclusive construction industry, and that nothing but positive effects will happen with the implementation of suicide prevention skills training.
“This will help improve the culture around mental health in the industry. If we can help break that stigma that there’s shame in having a mental health issue or shame in needing help, that begins to change the industry for the better.”
To learn more about the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Safety Association, head to their website.
To learn more about suicide prevention skills training programs for your workplace or community, head to our training page.
