As summer reaches its peak, construction workers can be feeling the heat in more ways than one. An industry leader is undertaking a special initiative to let workers know there is someplace to turn when they need it.

John W. Danforth Company rolled out a special program to shine a spotlight on mental health awareness for workers in the construction industry. The company worked with Buffalo’s 26 Shirts to create a custom t-shirt that is being distributed to team members across Danforth’s six office locations in New York, Ohio and Vermont. The back of the shirt is emblazoned with a graphic of an eagle wearing a hard hat at a construction site, with the words “Strength in Tough Times” above the graphic and “You Are Not Alone” below the graphic, along with information for the 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. As part of the initiative, 26 Shirts will donate a portion of the proceeds from Danforth’s order to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

“For Danforth and across our entire industry, jobsite safety is paramount. Mental health is jobsite safety,” said Danforth CEO Robert Beck. “We wear equipment to protect our bodies, we check our tools, we inspect our harnesses - we need to check in on each other. Too many times, workers will try to tough it out in silence. We want them to know there are resources available if and when they need them.”

According to federal statistics, the construction industry has one of the highest rates of suicide, with rates four times higher than in the general population. Contributing factors include stress, long hours and the potential seasonality of work, among others. Summer can be a particularly tough time.

“Working in the heat and the elements can be very physically and mentally demanding. The days get longer, and project schedules and deadlines can intensify,” said Mike Bement, senior vice president, pre-construction. “It is important for workers, in the field, in the shops, and in the office, to know that it’s okay not to be okay.”

The inspiration for Danforth’s mental health awareness initiative came from Beck’s tenure as national President of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA). He spent the majority of his one-year term traveling around the country meeting with other MCAA member companies and discussing important issues that are facing the mechanical contracting industry.

“It was eye-opening to me to see and hear from contractors in every market across the United States what a real crisis our industry is facing in terms of suicide,” he said. “This isn’t just about Danforth. Construction is a brotherhood and sisterhood. If our project partners across our 750-mile footprint see our Danforth team members wearing the shirts, hopefully it will spur conversation, especially if someone is struggling. We’re all in this together.”

A leader in suicide prevention and mental health crisis care, the 988 National Suicide Crisis Lifeline has answered more than 13 million calls, texts and chats from people in need of support across the United States and its territories since its launch in July 2022.

Founded in Buffalo in 1884, Danforth has more than 1,000 employees across a geographic footprint that includes its Western New York headquarters and operations in Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany, New York, Columbus, Ohio and Burlington, Vermont. The company works collaboratively with its union labor partners including the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA), the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), and several other labor partners across many local union jurisdictions throughout the northeast and beyond.