Bechtel and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) have announced a new, multiyear partnership dedicated to saving lives in the construction community lost to suicide. The initiative was unveiled this morning in Washington, DC, at an event focused on raising awareness, educating stakeholders on this crisis and beginning to build a coalition to prevent construction worker suicides.
The new partnership will reach 500,000 US construction workers over five years through industry-specific programs and resources developed by Bechtel and AFSP. The US$7 million, five-year commitment to AFSP to fund the effort is the largest-ever pledge received by AFSP and the largest single donation ever made by the Bechtel Group Foundation.
“This is the start of a long-term, sustained effort to lift up the whole construction community. We want to see mental health become as much of a priority as physical safety in our industry,” said Brendan Bechtel, Chairman and CEO of Bechtel. “It’s our belief that addressing suicide in construction is as vital as wearing a hard hat on site. This is the next frontier in taking care of each other.”
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