Ways to Help Workers Better Handle Pandemic-Linked Anxiety

In order to combat the spread of the virus among construction workers, more jobsites are promoting the use of masks, hand washing, and disinfecting surfaces. But there is one side effect caused by the virus without even contracting it: impact on mental health. NAHB says it's the heightened concern around the virus that has impacted workers’ mental health. Dr. Scott Earnest, director of the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Office of Construction Safety and Health, sat down with NAHB to discuss the effects of the virus prevention and virus itself, and offered ways in which companies can help.

“[The COVID-19 pandemic] has caused anxiety and ripple effects throughout the entire economy,” shared Cal Beyer, vice president of workforce risk and worker wellbeing at CDSZ, a construction risk management firm. “One in 5 adults have a diagnosed mental health condition, and the pressures that we’re all under with sheltering at home … there’s been very little separation between our work and our families. The boundaries have blurred — and the tensions that that’s causing.”

Beyer noted that prior to COVID-19, the industry was already addressing challenges with mental health, including suicide and substance abuse. NAHB was of the first groups to endorse the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, he added, and has been a leader in the charge for opioid use prevention.

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