Construction, farming & trucking

Common pressures

• A “tough it out” culture that makes talking hard
• Heat, cold and dangerous conditions
• Injuries and chronic pain
• Long hours and time away from family
• Seasonal work, layoffs and uneven pay
• Weather, prices and debt you can’t control

Each of these is a known risk on its own. Together they can feel crushing, especially for someone who believes they should handle it alone.

Crews, farm families and drivers often share loyalty, pride in hard work and a habit of looking out for each other’s safety. Peer support is one of the ways CDC suggests workplaces can help prevent suicide.

When mental health is treated as part of safety, those strengths can save lives. A crewmate who would never let you work without fall protection can also ask how you’re really doing.

On many jobsites

• A “tough it out” culture that makes talking hard
• Demanding schedules and long travel
• Heat, cold and dangerous heights
• Injuries and chronic pain
• Seasonal work and layoffs between jobs
• Time away from family

A worker may be hurting from an old injury, worried about the next job after a layoff, far from family on a travel job, and part of a crew where nobody talks about feelings. That stack is what raises risk.

Watch for

• Angry outbursts or seeming flat
• More mistakes, near-misses or risk-taking
• Pulling away from the crew
• Showing up late or missing work more often
• Talking about being a burden or feeling trapped

A short way to start: “Hey, you’ve seemed off this week. I’m not trying to pry. Just want you to know I’ve got your back if you want to talk.” Then listen. You don’t need to fix anything.

What helps

• Check in with crewmates: “You doing okay, really?”
• Getting injuries treated, not ignored
• Keeping dangerous means away from someone in crisis
• Talk about mental health in toolbox talks, just like any other safety topic
• Trained peers who know how to help

The Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP) is a nonprofit working toward a zero-suicide industry. It shares toolbox talks, jobsite tools and training at preventconstructionsuicide.com. OSHA also shares resources each September for Suicide Prevention Month.

Ideas for leaders

• Know your EAP number and the 988 number, and put them on a hard hat sticker or the trailer wall
• Notice the quiet worker as well as the loud one
• Open the day with a short mental health toolbox talk once in a while
• Plan for the slow season: let crews know about money and support resources before layoffs hit
• Say out loud that asking for help won’t cost anyone their job

On many farms

• Debt, prices and money uncertainty
• Injuries and dangerous machinery
• Living far from neighbors and services
• Long hours with no days off at busy times
• Pressure to keep the family farm going
• Weather, drought, floods and crop or livestock loss

Many farmers carry the weight of generations. “I can’t be the one who loses the farm” is a heavy thought to hold alone. Weather, markets and interest rates are not personal failures, and asking for financial or legal advice early is a smart business move, not giving up.

Planting and harvest bring long days and little sleep, while winter can bring too much time to worry about loans and prices. Knowing your hard seasons ahead of time lets you plan for them.

Plan ahead by

• Booking a regular check-in with a friend
• Lining up extra help before the rush
• Setting a bedtime, even in busy weeks
• Taking short breaks, even in busy seasons

Watch for

• Letting the farm or animals slip
• More accidents or near-misses
• Talking about the family being better off without them
• Withdrawing from church, co-op or neighbors

Farm workers who are not owners, including seasonal and migrant workers, face their own pressures: heat, low pay, time away from family and sometimes language barriers. They deserve the same care and the same access to help.

The AgriStress Helpline offers phone interpretation in many languages, and texting in English and Spanish.

The AgriStress Helpline (call or text 833-897-2474) is a free, confidential 24/7 crisis and support line run by the AgriSafe Network. Its crisis specialists are trained on the stresses of agriculture, forestry and fishing. It serves people in a list of states shown on its website.

The Farm Aid Farmer Hotline, 1-800-FARM-AID (1-800-327-6243), helps farmers find resources for money, legal and farm stress problems on weekdays. It is not a crisis line. Check farmaid.org for current hours.

On the road

• Irregular sleep and long hours
• Isolation and loneliness on the road
• Little chance to eat well or exercise
• Sitting for many hours
• Tight delivery deadlines and traffic
• Time away from family and missed events

Poorly timed sleep is a big issue. Sleep that is out of step with your body clock is not as restful, even if it is long enough. Not enough sleep is linked to crashes, mistakes and long-term health problems.

Watch for

• Drinking or using more to cope or to sleep
• Feeling numb, hopeless or cut off
• Losing interest in calls home
• Struggling to stay awake or alert

Ideas

• A blackout shade and earplugs for daytime sleep in the sleeper berth
• A cooler with real food so you aren’t living on gas-station snacks
• A playlist, podcast or audiobook that lifts your mood, not just news
• A short routine before sleep, like stretching and putting the phone away
• A small comfort from home, like a photo or a blanket
• Walk or stretch at every stop

Hours of silence can let worries grow louder, and missing birthdays or school events can leave a driver feeling like a visitor in their own family. A quick voice message each morning, a photo from the road or a set time to say goodnight to the kids all help.

Stay connected by

• Connecting with other drivers online or at truck stops
• Scheduling calls or video chats home
• Sharing a little of your day, not only the hard parts

Drivers often come back tired and need a day to “land.” It helps to plan a calm first evening, share what’s been going on at home without a flood of problems at the door, and keep the driver included in decisions while they’re away.

What can help

• Building up time in the heat slowly over the first few days
• Doing heavy work in cooler hours
• Water, rest and shade
• Watching coworkers for confusion, dizziness or collapse

Hot days can make people more irritable, tired and less able to cope. If you or a crewmate seem “off” in a heat wave, rest, cool down and check in.

Unsafe or poor physical working conditions are a known risk to mental health, not only to the body.

Hard seasons often mean long days, less sleep and more risk. Planning ahead for them protects both your body and your mind. The worksheet “My plan for hard conditions” can help.

Steps

• Notice if pain is changing your mood or sleep
• Report and treat injuries early
• Talk with a clinical provider about safe pain care
• Use safety gear and speak up about hazards

Time off after an injury can bring money worries, boredom and a feeling of being cut off from the crew. Return-to-work programs that combine work support with ongoing care help people get back safely.

While you recover

• Ask about light-duty or return-to-work options
• Keep a daily routine, even a simple one
• Stay in touch with a crewmate or two
• Tell someone if your mood keeps dropping

What can help

• Find online communities of people in your field
• Join crew or community events when you’re back
• Keep a small routine that grounds you, like a morning walk
• Plan regular calls with people you care about

Living far from neighbors and services is one of the stresses of farm life. Phone and text lines, like 988 and the AgriStress Helpline, can be reached from anywhere with signal.

Steps

1. Pick a private moment, like a drive or a break
2. Say what you noticed: “You haven’t seemed yourself lately.”
3. Listen without fixing
4. If you’re worried, ask directly and calmly: “Are you thinking about suicide?”
5. Help them connect to 988, the EAP or a farm stress line
6. Check in again a few days later

Ideas

• Drop by in person. Rural people often say more over coffee at the kitchen table than on the phone
• Keep church, co-op and 4-H connections going, especially in hard years
• Notice changes, like a neat farmer letting fences or animals slip
• Offer specific help, like covering chores for an afternoon
• Share the AgriStress Helpline number before someone needs it

CDC suggests reducing access to dangerous means as one way workplaces can help prevent suicide. If someone is in crisis, offering to hold their firearms for a while, or storing them away from home, can save a life.