Toolbox talk

Silence Is a Safety Hazard

Mental health, substance use, and the numbers nobody puts on the JHA.

First, let's be straight

• Substance misuse, including alcohol, is in every workplace. Ours is no different.
• Sometimes it is not the worker. Sometimes it is someone at home. It still comes to work with us.
• Mental health, substance misuse, overdose, and suicide often fly in formation. Not always, but often enough that it makes sense to talk about them together.
• Construction runs into opioids more than most, because the physical work we do can lead to pain and injuries, and pain leads to painkillers.
• None of this is news to anyone standing here.
• This is not a lecture and not holier than thou. It is a free country. This is about perspective: how serious this really is.
• We want everyone to go home safe, even the people we don't particularly like. We can do better, and we have to. It starts with us.
• Some of us wrestle with moderating alcohol or other substances more than others. It is common, nobody's fault, and getting curious about it is a good idea. We want everyone healthy, safe, and working.

The hazard we don't talk about

We train hard for what we can see. Falls, struck-by, the stuff on the JHA. But more of us die off the jobsite than on it. From suicide and overdose. And we stay quiet about it.

The numbers (U.S. construction worker deaths, 2023)

We've gotten good at protecting each other from the physical hazards. We can get just as good at this.

And it is getting better, because talking works

Construction overdose deaths fell to 11,300 in 2024. Why? Jobs started carrying naloxone. Crews started talking. That is it.

What to notice (you are not diagnosing anybody)

You know your crew. Watch for changes, not one bad day.

• Late, leaving early, or calling out, when they never used to.
• Short fuse, gone quiet, pulled away from the crew.
• Rough mornings, smelling of alcohol, nodding off.
• Talking like they are a burden, or like there is no point.

What to say

You do not need perfect words. You need to say something.

Then listen. Do not fix it. Do not one-up it with your own story. Just let them talk.

What to do next. Before HR. Before EAP.

• Start with you. You noticed, so you start the conversation. Stay with them.
• Crisis right now: call or text 988.
• Overdose: naloxone (Narcan) saves lives. Washington's Good Samaritan law protects you for calling 911.
• Connect them to your EAP or member assistance program and the go-to person listed on the back of this packet.

The bottom line

We watch each other's backs a hundred feet up. We can do it at ground level too. You are not a counselor. You are a coworker who noticed and said something. That can be the whole difference.

One thing to do today: pick one person on your crew who has seemed off, and ask them "you good?" before you leave the job. Nobody gets left on their own. That is how this starts.

Keep these numbers handy

Toolbox talk

Facilitator Guide

For the person running the talk. This page does not get read aloud.

How to run this

• This is a 5 to 10 minute talk. You do not need to be an expert. You need to be willing to go first. The fact that you are running it tells your crew that this is something we are allowed to care about here.
• Not sure where to start? Just read every bullet out loud, top to bottom. That is enough.
• Putting it in your own words is even better, but reading it straight beats skipping it.
• When you hit the numbers, hold up the chart on the last page so the whole crew can see it from a distance. The picture hits harder than the words.

Three questions to ask your crew

• Did any of those numbers surprise you?
• If a guy on this crew was struggling, would he know who to go to? Be honest.
• What would make it easier to bring something like this up here?

Let it be quiet. Silence does not mean it is not landing. Count to ten in your head before you fill the gap. Most people are deciding whether you actually mean it.

If someone opens up

• Do: thank them, listen, stay calm, keep it private, and help them take the next step.
• Don't: panic, lecture, promise to keep a safety secret, or try to counsel them yourself.

If someone is in crisis right now

If someone is talking about ending their life, or you think they might:

• Stay with them. Do not leave them alone.
• Call or text 988 together, or call 911 if there is immediate danger.
• Take it seriously every time. You are not overreacting.

Resources (point them here)

Toolbox talk

Attendance Roster

Topic: Silence Is a Safety Hazard. Everyone present signs in. File with your safety records.

Date: Project: Lead / Foreman:

Created by Brett Lovins. brettlovins.com  |  360.591.3104  ·  © 2026 Sober Curious Consulting LLC. Free to use and share with your crew.
Sources: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (2023); CPWR (Focus Four share, overdose 2023–2024); CDC/NIOSH and CPWR suicide data (2023).

Toolbox talk · hold this page up

What Actually Kills Us

U.S. construction worker deaths in a single year, 2023.

OSHA Focus FourFalls, struck-by, caught-in, electrocution.

~700

SuicideOne of the highest rates of any trade.

5,095

OverdoseThe highest rate of any industry.

15,900

Each bar = U.S. construction worker deaths in 2023. Focus Four is about 65% of the 1,075 total on-the-job construction deaths (CPWR).

We've gotten good at protecting each other from the physical hazards. We can get just as good at this. Suicide and overdose take far more of us, and we barely talk about them. Silence is a safety hazard.