Mental Health in the Construction Industry - A Conversation with Cal Beyer

Back in 2020, I was given the opportunity to contribute to an article in Forbes: High-Risk, Low- Transparency Environments Present Barriers To A Mentally Healthy Workforce. It was then that I had the pleasure of meeting Cal Beyer, the VP of Workforce Risk & Worker Wellbeing at Holmes Murphy & Associates and an early trailblazer for mental health in the construction industry. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I learned that construction has the highest number of suicides out of any industry. Cal was kind enough to take the time out before his Thanksgiving holiday to talk about his groundbreaking work. You can learn more about Cal’s work here.

How long have you worked in the construction industry and what led you to work in that profession?

I worked as a public entity risk management professional for almost 10 years before moving to the construction industry in 1996. I consulted with municipalities, counties, school districts, and universities.

I had a stated life goal of saving lives and someone challenged me and said if your mission is saving lives, you should go work in construction because they had 1,500 fatalities last year.  Literally, 5 days later my supervisor at the time called me into his office and said, “there has been another interesting request for you to transfer as a “loaned manager” to help the construction business unit hire their next 25 risk engineering professionals”.   

What inspired you to bring mental health awareness into your industry? And what has been the process of doing that?

I worked in health care through high school and college. I experienced a lot of significant trauma growing up as a pre-teen through young adults in my family, and community, and through my work. I recognized I should not become a doctor or other medical professional for concerns and anxiety about my own mental wellbeing. I was a perfectionistic and I knew I’d be devastated if I made a mistake. So, I made a pact that I would focus on teaching companies how to care for people. It is no accident I became a risk management and safety professional. 

Post-Sept 11, 2001, I was teaching companies human capital risk management and building caring cultures. Post-Hurricane Katrina, I provided training nationally on emergency preparedness and disaster response. My mentor was Bob VandePol, a national crisis response professional, who was weaving in Critical Incident Response to teach psychological first aid to address the emotional needs of employees in the aftermath of workplace crises. He taught me the fundamentals of suicide prevention. These were the earliest building blocks for the mental health movement that started in our industry. 

In 2010 Bob VandePol appointed me to the Workplace Task Force of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. By 2012 I started a construction subcommittee. In 2014, I went to work for a contractor to teach other companies how to bake mental health and suicide prevention into safety and risk culture.  

My vision was 6 key steps:

1. Label mental health the next frontier in safety

2. Reframe Safety 24/7 culture to not focus on getting workers home safe at the end of the shift, but to get workers back to work safe from home

3. Launch a media saturation campaign to reduce stigma by getting industry leaders to talk about suicide prevention

4. Create an association penetration campaign to help

5. Develop a union participation campaign to

6. Build an “army of helpers” to help spread the hope and tools/resources

I asked Sally Spencer-Thomas to help me, and she said yes. She started working on a Blueprint for Suicide prevention and I helped her. We wrote an article for the Construction Financial Management Association in 2015 and that association started the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention in October 2016. 

What mental health challenges do you see in your work and the world at large? How do you see people being able to make meaningful changes around these challenges?

The biggest challenges I see are the growing intensity of stress and burnout among working-aged adults.

In your work with suicide prevention, have you found helpful approaches people can use if they worry a loved one may die by suicide? Can you share those approaches with us?

The most important approach for mental health and suicide prevention is to teach that everyone has a role to play in mental health advocacy and suicide prevention. The importance of early intervention cannot be overstressed. Too often many family members wait too long, and a person is in a crisis spiraling downward and losing hope. The quicker we can connect a person who is struggling with mental health and wellbeing to resources, the better the outcome.  

I’ve been using wallet cards in the workplace since 2011. I expanded this tool in 2015 by creating “pocket packets” with hardhat stickers and wallet cards sharing information about Employee Assistance Programs, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and Crisis Text Line.  

I like to teach people how to pay attention to changes in behavior and address these early signs and symptoms.  I like to use role-playing to teach people how to reach out privately to the person they’re concerned about and let them know you care about them and that you’re available to talk or help if they need support. Then, I encourage following up so that person knows you’ve got their back and are prepared to stand with them. 

What would you say are the biggest misconceptions about mental health in our society today?

The biggest misconception I see when it comes to mental health in society is that mental health should actually be a positive thing. Mental health should mean the absence of mental illness. However, consistently between 85-90% of people when asked during presentations I do respond that the first thing they think of when they hear the words mental health is the presence or possibility of mental illness. This demonstrates how deeply embedded stigma is around mental health. 

Another major misconception I like to tackle is that people need to hit rock bottom before they commit to recovery from addiction. This is not true. In fact, the earlier we can offer people support starting treatment and recovery the less likely they are to hit rock bottom. The benefits of early intervention are clear: when people get help before hitting rock bottom, they have a better chance of not losing everything that matters to them, plus restoring relationships, as well as keeping their job and health insurance benefits.  

A final misconception that needs to be better understood is that persons with mental illness are generally nonviolent. Some data sources indicate that less than 3% of violent acts can be attributed to people with a serious mental illness. Sadly, persons will severe mental illness are more likely to be the victims of violence than the perpetrators of crimes. 

In your work with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the American Psychiatric Association Foundation and other mental health organizations, what are three hopeful facts you think people should know about mental health?

1. The majority of persons living with mental health are able to maintain employment and live happy and productive lives.

2. An Oct 2022 Harris Poll shows the majority of adults in the U.S. (94%) see suicide as a preventable public health issue and 83% say they would be interested in learning how they might be able to play a role in helping someone who may be suicidal

3. Over 25 states have initiatives underway to promote Recovery Friendly Workplaces which will destigmatize substance use disorder and provide better employment opportunities for persons in long-term recovery.

If someone reading this article wants to learn more about supporting others with mental health concerns in their family or community, what resources would you suggest?

I’m increasingly optimistic with the early success of 988, the new 3-digit telephone number for suicide and crisis response. I encourage everyone to learn about 988 and Crisis Text Line and other hotlines and warm lines in their geographic area. These services help save lives. 

Recognize that barriers exist in access and use of mental health services. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI.org) only 44% of persons with diagnosable mental health conditions actually seek help. There is disparity in access based on age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity, among others. Employers need to be mindful of barriers and seek to remove barriers to ensure equitable access among employee populations. 

There are many more resources available today to allow people to learn about mental health and wellbeing.  An industry friend and his wife gifted me a great book recently from NAMI titled You Are Not Alone by Dr. Ken Duckworth. Another friend recently gifted me with Alison Jones Webb’s Recovery Allies: How to Support Addiction Recovery and Build Recovery-Friendly Communities.  

You recently became recertified in Mental Health First Aid. Why do you think this program is important and why should people be trained?

I appreciate how straightforward Mental Health First Aid is... it can be intimidating for laypersons to think they can help people exhibiting the early signs of a mental health or substance misuse crisis. I’ve seen how Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) equips, encourages, and empowers individuals to be advocates for mental health and wellbeing in their families, communities, and workplaces. I strongly encourage individuals to take an MHFA course. MHFA provides people the basic knowledge and skills needed to help another person successfully navigate the dangers of a mental health or substance use crisis. MHFA prepares everyone how to recognize signs and symptoms and the actions to take to help someone through a mental health crisis. 

To learn more about the Mental Health First Aid program and how it could benefit you or your organization, drop us a note at lauradcwellbeing@gmail.com.