© Can Stock Photo / Deskcube
Saving Face to Save a Life Vanquishing the stigma of suicide By / Don Procter
About four years ago
when a number of workers from union Locals across the country acknowledged to Chris Carlough that they knew members who had committed suicide, Carlough realized the industry could not ignore the subject anymore. Director of Education for SMART, Carlough set about laying plans to address what appeared to be an increasing issue in the sheet metal world. One of his priorities was to organize peer support training through SMART MAP that engaged workers to take a role in helping troubled workers with suicidal thoughts. Since then, SMART MAP has trained about 400 people, including organizers, business representatives, training coordinators, instructors, and officers. Job stewards, journeypersons, “and members who are looked up to” are also prime candidates for training, he says. “It is a lot of proactive intervention stuff and we are integrating it everywhere [nationally].” Today, having at least one person on a job site with peer support training is SMART MAP’s goal. “I think it is very achievable,” he says.
Chris Carlough facilitates peer support training at SMART MAP. Photo submitted by Chris Carlough.
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There is good reason for a comprehensive peer support network in the industry. A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2016 concluded that construction has more suicides than any other industry. “It’s significantly higher than the general population,” adds Sally Spencer-Thomas, clinical psychologist who has teamed up with SMART MAP to assist with the peer workshop training. The CDC study didn’t break down stats into various sectors of construction so it is unknown how sheet metal compares to other building sectors, but observers suggest it is a problem that needs attention. Spencer-Thomas applauds SMART MAP’s peer support training workshops. “I don’t know anyone who has done as much around implementation of a hands-on practical (prevention) tactic as SMART has done. “In my opinion peers are the most important link in the chain of survival,” she says, adding that she teaches a day of the fourday peer training workshops presented through SMART. The CDC’s report was impetus for SMACNA to join the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIAS), established by the Construction Financial Management Association to promote awareness of suicide prevention. Bringing the subject of suicide to the forefront is a starting point, says SMACNA Director of Market Sectors and Safety
