This week, we are joined by Meg Cook, Chairman of the Board & President of Painters USA

for an important and eye opening conversation on the topic of mental health and well-being awareness in the workplace, specifically across the construction and trades industry. 

At the start of our conversation, Meg shared a shocking statistic: “1 in 5 Americans suffer from some sort of mental health condition at any given time, but more than half do not receive treatment or know how to access help.” When you break down these statistics by industry type, the outcome among the construction industry is staggering.  

Meg is looking to break this pattern and help end the stigma around mental health by putting energy towards education and connection of resources, incorporating them into the Painters USA Safety program and sharing this topic with third party organizations that are in need of this guidance. 

For Meg, this is about normalizing the mental health conversation, providing access and direction to resources and recognizing it’s essential to create a culture of caring across your organization. Fortunately, she is not alone in this fight… and you can join her in this mission. 

Every year, during September — National Suicide Prevention Month — the construction industry will dedicate a week to raising awareness about the unique challenges workers face in construction that lead to suicide and what we can do to prevent it. This year, Construction Suicide Prevention Week will take place September 4-8, 2023.  

To learn more, access resources and “tool box talks”, and register your company for participation in this awareness week, visit https://constructionsuicideprevention.com/ 

It’s time to STAND UP and Make a Difference.