Episode 209: ‘Saving Lives in Construction’ with Sonya Bohman

In this episode: Christi Powell and Angela Gardner welcome guest Sonya Bowman, executive director of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP), to discuss mental health and suicide prevention in construction, so workers go home safe. Bowman explains CIASP’s roots in a 2015 CFMA article by Cal Beyer and Dr. Sally Spencer Thomas and the decision to form an independent 501(c)(3) in 2018 after CDC reports showed construction and extraction had the highest suicide death rates by occupation. She shares current CDC-based figures of about 1,000 fatal construction injuries versus roughly 5,000 construction-worker suicides, notes a preliminary 2024 decline of about 1.7%, and outlines warning signs as changes in behavior, performance, or life stressors. Bowman suggests immediate actions like planning for Suicide Prevention Month, sharing resources, and adding 988 and 741741 to email signatures, and directs listeners to preventconstructionsuicide.com for tools, training, and the STANDUP pathway.