The role of the construction project manager in developing a culture of suicide prevention

The construction industry is the most significant occupational contributor to suicide rates worldwide. This is credited to strenuous working conditions, lack of awareness in mental health culture, but more so, that help-seeking is seen as a weakness. This study aims to investigate the role of the construction project manager in creating a culture of suicide prevention on-site. This is achieved through delving into the principles of culture creation within differing industries, with adaptations for construction managers, through a comparative analysis of culture creation literature. Twenty-two interviews with employees are undertaken. Representative data gathered are analysed and presented, to highlight the levels of knowledge, barriers and proposed solutions, for construction project managers. Results are broken down into ‘awareness of and openness to discussing suicide prevention’, ‘barriers to the adoption of suicide-prevention measures’ and ‘proposed solutions to the adoption of suicide-prevention measures’. The interviews give an insight into the acceptance of the need for stronger mental health support structures, without necessarily any regard for the method of their implementation. The originality and subsequent value in the research are the proposed use of construction project managers as the conduit in beginning to address and, as a result, develop a culture of suicide prevention on-site.