Mental Health is a Safety Issue: Guidance & Resources to Support Employee Mental Health
- Baylea Richardson
- 12 hours ago
- 6 min read
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but for industries like construction, manufacturing, and transportation, mental wellness is far more than a fleeting campaign on the calendar — it’s a critical safety issue.
The environment in industries like construction, manufacturing, and transportation are high-pressure, high-risk, and often built on a culture of “toughing it out.” Long hours, intense physical labor, isolation, and job insecurity can also erode mental well-being. And when mental health suffers, safety suffers, too.
Why Mental Health Matters for Safety
According to the CDC, construction and extraction workers have the highest suicide rates of any major occupation in the U.S. Agricultural, installation, and maintenance jobs follow closely behind.
By nature, the work in these industries has barriers to support, some of which are inextricable from the work itself:
Irregular schedules and long stretches on the road or on-site can isolate employees from their family, friends, and support systems.
Lack of training: Supervisors and safety leads often don’t know how to recognize the signs of mental distress or substance abuse problems, or how to help.
"Tough it out" culture: Pushing through pain, stress, and fatigue is applauded, while seeking help or speaking up about mental and emotional challenges is seen as weak.
These barriers don't just hurt individuals— they compromise the safety and well-being of entire teams. The connection between mental health and workplace safety is well-established:
Stressed or depressed workers are more likely to make poor decisions and take unnecessary risks.
Fatigue and burnout affect concentration and reaction time, increasing accident risk.
Substance use disorders can impair judgment and motor skills — which is especially dangerous in jobs involving machinery or vehicles.
There's a saying in safety: "If you see it, you own it. If you walk away, you condone it." The average working adult in America spends 1/3 of their life at work– so the idea that “home stays at home, and work stays at work” doesn’t hold up in real life. Stress is portable — and when left unaddressed, it shows up in absenteeism, errors, injuries, and even fatalities.
The National Safety Council and NORC, an independent research institution, have even created an online mental health cost calculator to provide businesses with an estimate of what mental health can cost their company based on their industry, state, and size. This calculator gives safety professionals a way to establish leadership buy-in by highlighting how mental health impacts bottom-line outcomes, which can help generate buy-in for mental health initiatives from management.
What Safety Professionals Can Do for Mental Health
Many companies are already moving beyond awareness and taking practical steps to promote and support employee mental health. Safety professionals, who already protect and advocate for employees’ physical health, now find themselves searching for strategies to address mental health in their organization. How can safety leaders support mental health in their organization?
Encourage a Culture of Support
Encouraging a culture of support is easy to say, but the path forward is anything but. Working against a culture of “toughing it out” takes more than a new poster on the wall. Thankfully, you don’t need a psychology degree to make a difference.
The most meaningful change can begin with three simple words: asking, ’How are you?’– and really meaning it. If you notice someone withdrawing, struggling with anger, or just seeming “off,” talk to them. Here’s how to keep it simple and supportive:
“Hey, I noticed you’ve seemed pretty stressed lately. Is there anything on your mind?"
“You do a great job here at work, and I just want to make sure you're taking care of yourself, too.”
I know things have been busy, and I noticed you've been a bit stressed. I'm here if you want to talk about anything."
The exact phrasing doesn't matter as much as being genuine, non-judgemental, and respectful of their privacy. Don't feel like you need to force a conversation immediately. Just being present can open the door for someone to get help, even if it’s not that day. If an employee does share, be empathetic and practice active listening— try not to overwhelm them with suggestions. Sometimes, people just need to vent. If appropriate, offer to connect them with resources at the company or local mental health services.
Talk About Mental Health in Safety Meetings
Don’t wait for a crisis to start the conversation about mental health. Normalize conversations during toolbox talks and safety huddles. Research has shown that a social approach— when someone shares their own experience with others— is more effective at reducing stigma than traditional awareness campaigns.
One way to broach the topic is to connect mental health to physical safety, just like you would with fatigue or PPE. Introducing mental health with physical safety provides a way to prompt conversation without putting employees on the spot. Associated General Contractors of America and the National Association of Home Builders both offer free toolbox talk templates online to get conversations started. Or, create your own by sharing a personal experience or asking simple questions like:
What helps you manage stress on the job or after a hard day?
Is there anything making it harder than usual to stay focused or energized?
What can we do to make the job a little less stressful?
Template form AGC: Sample Toolbox Talk on Mental Health (PDF)
Train Key Staff in Mental Health First Aid
Employees receive training and regular reminders about safety— how to identify hazards, who to report them to, and what to do if unsafe conditions arise. We make sure they know exactly how to respond if they recognize the potential for an accident. What if we were also trained to recognize the signs someone is struggling mentally?
Think of training to recognize the signs of mental illness or substance abuse as CPR for mental health. You don’t need to be a professional — just someone who knows what to look for and how to connect people with help. Having even a few trained individuals on-site goes a long way to creating a culture where employees feel comfortable speaking up.
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a national training program that teaches people how to recognize the signs of mental illness or substance use problems and how to respond appropriately. They offer in-person and virtual training nationwide.
Promote Resources and Encourage Employees to Use Them
Too often, mental health hotline posters hang in break rooms, collecting dust, while employees struggle alone. Safety leaders have the opportunity—and responsibility—to ensure mental health resources aren’t pushed to the back burner but are actively promoted, regularly discussed, and fully integrated into the company's network of resources.
These may include confidential Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), mental health hotlines, access to licensed counselors or therapists, and educational workshops on stress management and substance misuse prevention. Local fire and EMS departments are great places to find out what resources, such as support groups, counseling, and treatment centers, are available in your area.
Make sure help is easy to find. Yes, posters still matter—especially when they’re placed in break rooms, locker rooms, or near time clocks where employees will see them frequently. There are numerous free, anonymous help centers available that offer immediate crisis support and connections to treatment options. These can be lifesaving for employees who may be hesitant to discuss their problems with someone at work. SAMHSA and OSHA offer printable posters that highlight these resources and can be displayed throughout the workplace with minimal effort.
Print free posters here:
Discuss resources openly and often. Managers and supervisors need to understand that posters aren’t a substitute for being present, observant, and checking in on their teams.
When sharing resources like the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or SAMHSA’s treatment helpline, be sure to emphasize that these services are completely free and confidential. No one at work has to know if an employee reaches out—but knowing that their workplace supports them and is ready to help can make a huge difference in whether they take that first step.
Mental Health Awareness Month is a valuable reminder, but let's not forget it’s a year-round safety concern. Just as we work to prevent physical injuries, we must also work to prevent the silent injuries that come from stress, burnout, and untreated mental health issues.
By starting conversations, recognizing warning signs, normalizing help-seeking behavior, and making sure resources are visible and accessible, we can create a culture where every worker knows their mental health matters just as much as their physical safety. Because promoting mental wellness isn't just good practice—it's good safety.