The construction industry has long been on the frontlines of multiple health and safety battles — but perhaps none as complex and far-reaching as the opioid crisis. While traditionally approached as an external issue that spills into the workplace, it's increasingly clear that addiction and mental health are deeply intertwined with how we work, lead, and support one another on the job site.

As part of Suicide Prevention Month, the session “Navigating the Opioid Crisis: A Workplace Perspective”, led by Stephanie Lemek of The Wounded Workforce, challenges employers to move beyond reactive responses and embrace a culture shift — one that builds resilience from the inside out.

Construction’s Hidden Crisis

Construction workers face one of the highest rates of substance use disorder of any occupation in the U.S. Long hours, physical pain, job insecurity, and stigma around mental health all contribute to a perfect storm for addiction and despair. But if the crisis is showing up at work, then so must the solution.

According to Lemek, it's not enough to respond after someone has hit a breaking point. What the industry needs now is a proactive, culture-driven approach — one that prioritizes well-being before a crisis occurs.

The session called on leaders at all levels — from C-suite executives to frontline supervisors — to view themselves not only as builders of projects, but as builders of people.

That shift starts with questions like:

• What kind of culture are we creating — intentionally or not?

• Do our workers feel valued and supported?

• Are we normalizing conversations about mental health and addiction, or shying away from them?

Resilience doesn’t happen by accident. It is built through small, consistent actions that show employees their well-being matters.

Things like:

• Embedding mental health education into safety training
• Encouraging open dialogue around stress, burnout, and addiction
• Offering access to resources such as EAPs, peer support networks, or substance use counseling
• Training supervisors to recognize signs of struggle and respond with empathy, not judgment

At the heart of the session was a powerful truth: a resilient workforce begins with a culture of care. And culture isn’t a one-time initiative — it’s how people experience their workplace every single day.

By shifting from crisis management to culture building, companies don’t just reduce risk — they increase trust, retention, safety, and long-term performance.

It’s time to stop waiting for workers to break. Instead, let’s build them up — with support, connection, and compassion woven into the foundation of our industry.

From crisis to culture shift — resilience is a choice. Let’s choose it, together.

This info was summarized from this webinar.