CDC/NIOSH/CPWR (PI: Evanoff; COI: Lindsay) 9/01/2024 – 8/31/2029
Construction workers have high rates of mental health disorders and among the highest suicide rates of all occupations. To address this burden, there is a strong need for evidence-based interventions that can be implemented at multiple levels in the challenging culture and organization of construction. This project will adapt, implement, evaluate, and disseminate an existing, evidence-based, multicomponent suicide prevention and mental health program (the Australian “MATES in Construction”) in the unique culture and organization of the US construction industry.
In Aim 1, the research team will work with regional stakeholders, including leaders of contractor associations, contractors, and union health benefit plans to adapt MATES for the American construction industry. In Aim 2, we will recruit regional contractors to implement the adapted intervention, which will include different levels of training and increased social and organizational support for suicide prevention and mental health promotion, including improved referral to existing mental health resources offered by employers and unions. Aim 3 will evaluate the implementation of the adapted intervention, and its efficacy in changing awareness of suicide and mental health, and changing attitudes around help-seeking and help-offering. Aim 4 will develop scalable pathways to disseminate the adapted intervention through construction companies, unions, and professional organizations. Our study will address personal, cultural, and organizational factors that make construction a high-risk industry, and has a high potential to make a significant impact by decreasing suicide and improving mental health in a worker group with a strikingly high burden of mortality and morbidity. This project builds on existing mental health and suicide prevention efforts successfully implemented with our regional construction partners.
NIOSH/CDC 1R01 OH011076-01A1 (PI: Evanoff)
The overall goal of this study is to create and validate improved methods for workplace physical exposures using a Job Exposure Matrix (JEM). Use of JEM can provide the ability to add detailed work exposure data to many general population data sets that include health outcomes and job titles, but no other work exposure data. This capability will spur additional studies of important health outcomes related to workplace physical exposures.