Prevention of Suicides in the Construction Industry: A State-of-the-Art Review

The issue of suicide in the construction industry is given a high priority since most of the suicide victims in the sector are young individuals, who consist of the most energetic workforce in any country. Despite some state and federal governmental and nongovernmental generic initiatives witnessed around suicide prevention, a comprehensive theoretical understanding of the suicide prevention mechanism in the construction industry is missing in the extent literature. Therefore, this research aimed to develop a suicide prevention framework in the construction industry by systematically reviewing the existing literature. The developed framework was then empirically operationalized through a case-study documentary analysis of South Australian construction industry to generate new insights. 65 research papers were considered for the qualitative systematic literature review and 29 government and non-government organizational documents related to suicide prevention were considered for the case-study documentary analysis. Data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. The developed conceptual framework for suicide prevention indicates that suicidal behavior will be particularly elevated in those, who are at suicide risk for which, suicide prevention, intervention and postvention strategies must be implemented'. The study highlights the importance of understanding when to apply each of the three strategies along the linear process of suicide risk leading to a suicide passing the stages of suicide ideation and suicide attempt. The study further indicates the importance of transforming the current toxic work culture in construction contributing to suicide risk and providing education and support to construction workers to improve their mental wellbeing. The study reveals that suicide prevention strategy is the most popular in the construction sector, nevertheless, highlights the importance of paying attention to suicide intervention and postvention strategies to make the suicide prevention efforts more effective. The developed framework provides a theoretical basis for future research and training into prevention of suicides in the construction sector. The proposed framework would play a pivotal role in guiding the process of establishing clear procedures for suicide prevention in the construction industry. It will be useful to facilitate tailored early interventions for unique stressors and risk factors contributing to suicide in the construction industry. As collaboration among industry stakeholders, government agencies and mental health professionals is essential for suicide prevention, the framework will serve as a roadmap for collaborating parties to gain a comprehensive understanding of construction industry suicides. Thus, it will allow to establishment of strategies focusing on suicide prevention, intervention and postvention in a timely manner. The framework can be further utilized as an assessment tool to evaluate the existing policies for suicide prevention in the construction industry. Accordingly, the stage of application of prevention, intervention and postvention strategies can be determined, and improvements shall be made if required. To strategize this framework optimally in an organizational setting it is important to assess the availability of resources and stakeholder buy-in along with the organizational culture. This will allow practitioners to tailor the framework to suit the specific context of the organization, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness and sustainability of suicide prevention efforts within the construction industry.