By Samantha West

What we don’ t talk about, however, is the high rate of suicides in the industry and the toll that construction jobs can take on your mental health.

How Construction Workers Can Be Vulnerable to Suicidal Thoughts

“ I’ ll sleep when I’ m dead.” Bon Jovi’ s song lyrics may be about making memories and living a full life, but it can also be a construction worker’ s mantra during the busy season.

“ You can easily work 10- to 15-hour days, almost every day of the week during the summer,” Jason Victor says. He’ s a rigging tech in the Midwest and has been in the construction industry for 13 years.

“ Especially if you’ re a freelancer; if there’ s a gig available, you take it. The only thing that would stop you is not being able to be in two places at once.”

Because construction work is often seasonal, the pressure to rack up those hours is enormous. If you work in a cold climate, many construction gigs dry up when the snow starts to fall.

Victor started his career freelancing, building stages for concerts and other outdoor events. He’ d wake early to set up, wait for the event to be over and work into the early morning hours to tear everything down. Then he’ d get up and do it over and over again.

“ Most of us would keep a hammock in our car to take naps under the stage while the concert was going. We work all over, so driving home between shifts wasn’ t a great option. Since we had to be back in a few hours, it just made sense to stay on location and get as much sleep as possible. My hearing has definitely suffered from it.”

Though Victor works full time for a pro-

10 August 23, 2024 www. contractorshotline. com