A recent study conducted by the American Psychiatric Association Foundation’s Center for Workplace Mental Health, along with the Construction Financial Management Association as well as two insurance companies found that the vast majority of construction companies feel that there is a reluctance among their workers to discuss mental health challenges they may be facing in the workplace.
As we have discussed a number of times on this blog there is a growing concern among public health officials that mental health will impact the workplace adversely in the coming years, especially with employees returning to the job after a potentially extended period of time away from the job site. While many construction companies in Connecticut remained on the job through the vast majority of the pandemic, other stresses and worries may be on the mind of Connecticut construction workers. These mental health issues may lead to a rise in Connecticut workers’ compensation claims in the short and long term.
The study that looked at construction workers and their reluctance to talk about mental health issues found that most employers polled believed that the reluctance was due to a stigma attached to these types of issues. In fact nearly 80% of all respondents said that the stigma that is attached to mental health issues was one of the top reasons they believed that employers believed their employees would not be comfortable speaking about mental health with a supervisor. Other reasons included;
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Fear of judgment by peers (77%)
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Fear of negative job consequences (55%)
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Don’t know how to access care (48%)
Given that many public health officials see mental health as one of the most concerning issues facing the workforce coming out of COVID-19 it is clear that the construction industry has a long way to go in encouraging and supporting it’s workforce to be more open and honest about the mental health challenges they are facing.
While not all mental health issues may rise to the level of causing a Connecticut workers’ compensation claim it is important that workers understand that it is possible that not all injuries on the job are physical. By providing education and information to construction workers it may be possible to avoid a serious, industry wide, issue before any catastrophic injuries occur.
If you have questions about an injury that you experienced on the job and how to navigate the workers’ compensation process, you can contact our office and one of our board certified attorneys will speak with you about your case.
