construction industry
Overwatch project x construction industry
The Overwatch Project has built the equivalent of the “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk” campaign for veterans and service members, only instead of talking about alcohol and vehicles, we are focused on guns and suicide. We have trained 75,000+ veterans, service members, and others in the last three years.
But suicide isn’t just a problem in the military and veteran community. For the past two years, we have partnered with mission-aligned companies to provide training that equips employees to ask lifesaving questions and take tangible steps to prevent firearms suicide. The construction industry has been a top priority. Here’s why:
Male construction workers have the highest rate of suicide of any occupation in America
Overall, the construction industry has the second highest suicide rate of any U.S. industry
More veterans go into the construction industry than any other industry
Gilbane Construction was our first partner in this effort, and we have trained hundreds of workers at Gilbane construction sites around the country. This video piece highlights the impact of our collaboration at a worksite this year:
Our construction industry program includes a training and education program that equips participants to do two things:
Ask lifesaving questions and make proactive and crisis plans to prevent firearms suicide, both for themselves and others.
Peer leadership education, that equips them to take this more broadly into the community, if they choose to take more of an advocate role
We’re proud to work with Gilbane in this effort, and look forward to partnering with other construction industry leaders on similar collaborations.