Safety Week 2020
Welcome to Safety Week 2020
The following is a Safety Week Opening Message from Sean Walsh, a member of the fourth generation of Walsh family leadership and proud Chair of the company’s Executive Safety Committee:
As we kick off Safety Week 2020, I want to take a moment to talk about an issue at the forefront of construction safety that is much bigger than many of us may realize - mental and emotional wellness.
In the United States today, one out of every five Americans is affected by a significant mental health issue. Think about what that means for a moment. It means that each one of us almost assuredly has at least one friend, neighbor, coworker or family member who is suffering from a mental health challenge right now. It is equally likely that many of us don’t even realize it.
This is because, far too often, the stigma surrounding mental illness has pressured the suffering into silence when they truly need our care and support. The good news is that this is a situation that we can change. This is an opportunity for us to put our ACTIVELY CARING Safety Culture to work to make a real difference in people’s lives, and in some cases even save their lives.
I was stunned to learn that suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in our country. Sadly, the construction industry has some of the highest rates of suicide, self-injury and mental health-related afflictions in any industry.
And all of this was determined before the global pandemic and the social unrest that have defined this year.
The challenges we have faced over the past eight months have put just about everyone on edge. Many of us are feeling less steady, more distracted and more isolated than before. Imagine what it’s been like for those suffering with a mental illness during this time.
Though the world seems to be filled with suffering right now, we as builders have always been capable of fixing things and bettering our environment. Our ACTIVELY CARING culture can make a difference when it comes to helping those with mental health issues, and we can rise together to meet this challenge. We can help others who are suffering, and in the process and we can better ourselves and our world.
This week we want you to focus on mental health as part of our shared commitment to setting the highest standards for safety -- bringing a whole new meaning to “No One Gets Hurt.” Our leadership team has put together training resources for you that will help you to recognize mental health warning signs, to better understand how stress affects you and those around you…. and to learn ways to care for your own mental health and the well-being of others. We are eager to share these resources with you and your loved ones. I personally hope our efforts to talk about emotional and mental health will further our commitment to sending everyone home safely every day. Thank you for being a safety leader and Take Care.