Construction workers build our roads and skylines. They raise the homes we live in and the schools where our kids learn.

But many are breaking behind the mask of toughness.

A new survey of nearly 2,000 U.S. construction workers and leaders shows a clear truth: silence is dangerous.

64 percent of workers reported anxiety or depression in the past 12 months.

45 percent feel ashamed to talk about mental health.

37 percent say they are discriminated against when they do.

21 percent of executives admit workers who speak up get fewer important tasks.

30 percent say those workers get watched more closely.

 This is a culture built on grit. Earn your hours. Do your job. Do not complain.

And that code works until someone cannot hold it together anymore.

Because here is the truth:

Being tough does not prevent anxiety. Grit does not cure depression.

Every tower crane and rebar grid has a crew behind it. People who go home exhausted and wake up before sunrise to do it again. People carrying fear, pressure and pain that no one wants to hear about. 

In this industry, strength is required.

But silence is expected.

That combination is not just harmful. It can be deadly.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 56 construction workers die by suicide on average per year.

The risk is not only the physical danger around them.

It is the message inside their heads:

If you speak up, you may be in danger of losing respect.

If you struggle and ask for help, you are weak.

Some companies are trying to change the culture.

A few train supervisors to thank workers who speak up.

A few run toolbox talks with real mental health resources.

But movement is slow and stigma is persistent.

Still, every step matters.

Every leader who listens.

Every worker who tells the truth.

These workers build everything. Every structure

Who protects them?

What You Can Do

If you work in this world…

Check on your crew. Ask twice. Notice the guy who jokes about never sleeping.

If you lead in this world…

Support the person who asks for help. Reward honesty instead of punishing it.

If you are outside this world…

Respect the mental load behind the labor. Push back when others mock vulnerability.

Real strength is not hiding pain.

Real strength is telling the truth before it is too late.

And telling the truth and our story helps us crush the stigma.

Thank you all for coming along this journey.

Until next Friday morning, come back…be here.

Keith

Your career will thank you.

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