September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, the perfect opportunity to discuss the ongoing mental health crisis, alarming increase of work-related suicides, and what you can do to help.
In recent years, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Federal Department of Labor have begun to emphasize the importance of addressing mental health in the workplace as key to reducing injury and illness rates among employees. OSHA has noted that recent studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have shown a concerning uptick in suicide rates among working age adults. It can be difficult to discuss mental health in the workplace, as typically that is a space where personal problems are left at the door. However, creating an environment at work where anyone can reach out for help when they are in crisis is necessary to prevent suicides and other long term mental health issues.
In 1999, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published an educational study which asserts that stressful job conditions, in combination with individual and situational factors, contributes to a higher risk of injury or illness. To this day, NIOSH maintains that job-related stress can lead to poor health and even injury for workers. Reducing job-related stress from the workplace is important in ensuring that everyone has access to a healthy and safe work environment.
To better illustrate how job stress can impact individuals, the CDC reviewed the specific work conditions that can lead to adverse mental health outcomes. The CDC states that the workplace can contain several factors which have been shown to contribute to higher suicide risks among workers. The reduction of these factors may lead to better mental health outcomes for employees:
– Low job security, low pay, and job stress
– Access to lethal means (e.g. the ability to obtain things such as firearms and medications)
– Long working hours
– Workplace bullying
The month of September is National Suicide Awareness month. The effects of suicide can impact individuals in any industry or occupation. There are however, concerning trends that show a higher prevalence of suicide in some occupations than others.
As shown in the data table to the right, these occupations demonstrated the top five highest counts of work-related suicide during the reference year 2022. Transportation and Material Moving workers had the highest count of work-related suicide nationally in 2022. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, Transportation and Material movers made up over 300,000 of the state’s workers in 2023. In total, all of these occupations amounted to 976,810 workers in the commonwealth that year.
This month, we aim to honor those who lost their lives and encourage further education and awareness concerning mental health in the workplace. It’s important to know resources are available to individuals who are struggling and those who want to learn more about how they can help those in need and support their colleagues.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
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