Boom Goes The Stigma

On the jobsite, we know that distractions are a safety risk. When your mind is preoccupied with your finances, your stress rises and your risk increases. Research shows that people with debt are twice as likely to experience mental health issues. Often, finances can impact our physical and emotional well-being. This stress can lead to distraction and reduced productivity at work. In this surprise...

Boom Goes The Stigma is closing out the year with a 2025 retrospective as we rev up for 2026. We discuss our outreach across the country, share our successes, and get honest about the challenges. This episode is packed with program introspection, because looking back is on the road ahead!  Construction Careline If you want to talk with someone about personal or professional challenges, the Constru...

As we head into the holiday, this episode marks our last mini-boom.  For our season finale, we tackle loneliness. Loneliness is the negative feeling that arises when you crave human connection. While we all feel lonely at times, chronic loneliness—especially when linked to depression and anxiety—can isolate us and lead to a downward spiral in our thoughts. People experiencing suicidal thoughts oft...

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This month's mini-boom is on Mindful Breathing .  This is a practical and free tool that can be used at any time. Mindful breathing is a powerful strategy to help you focus on the present moment.   Focusing on your breath involves observing each inhale and exhale. This practice can reduce stress by lowering your heart rate and engaging the parasympathetic nervous system (the body's calmi...

This month’s mini-boom focuses on four ways to prevent suicide. The construction industry has the second-highest suicide rate compared to other occupations. Given these sobering statistics, it is crucial to address this issue and implement strategies to prevent our workers from dying by suicide. We lay out how to break stigma, recognize warning signs, reach out and connect, and know your resources...

A holistic approach to safety, embracing the body/mind connection, paying attention to our thoughts, valuing sleep, and eating well. Numerous distractions abound in our job sites. Construction sites are not wellness retreats, but there are ways to sharpen our focus and ease mental tensions. On and outside the construction site, we will never control everything that happens, but we can develop a pr...

In construction, we rely on Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) to respond to incidents on the job site. When it comes to individual struggles with mental health, professional relationships, finances, and overall health and wellness, there is another EAP that can help us navigate through these issues. It is called an Employee Assistance Program. EAPs. EAPs are confidential services that can assist you i...

We know that sleep is essential to a healthy lifestyle, but in the construction industry, getting quality sleep can be challenging due to long work hours, shift changes, family responsibilities, and commuting. Sleep affects our mental and physical health, as well as our ability to work safely. Lack of sleep contributed to catastrophic workplace accidents like Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and the...

This mini-boom podcast on Mental Health and Safety highlights the importance of treating mental health with the same focus and intensity as physical health. In the United States, 1 in 5 adults experiences a mental health condition. With construction having one of the highest suicide rates, it's essential to check in with your coworkers and crew and demonstrate care about their well-being. Oft...

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and while we primarily focus on suicide in the construction industry, we must talk about alcohol and its impact on mental health. Construction workers are more likely to drink excessively, use substances, and face mental health challenges. Construction has one of the highest rates of excessive alcohol use. Nationally, alcohol intoxication is involved in 22% of all...

Opioids In Construction  Recent data indicates that construction workers have one of the highest rates of opioid overdoses. They are also 20% more likely than the general public to receive opioid prescriptions, often for stronger opioids. Why is this the case? The construction industry is labor-intensive by nature, and hard physical labor often leads to chronic pain. With the pressure to meet dead...

The construction industry has the second highest rate of suicide. Yet, the stigma associated with being vulnerable about personal struggles or asking for support remains a major roadblock to reducing suicides. Addressing stigma head-on can encourage workers to get help and reduce suicides. In this mini-boom toolbox talk, we discuss ways to destigmatize mental health challenges and promote supporti...

It is 2025, and BGTS is back with a new episode featuring Emily Haro, CSPP's Outreach and Engagement Coordinator. We discuss her background and 2024 highlights and share news about new CSPP resources and upcoming podcasts for 2025!!  If you are in need of support or feeling distressed, you can call or text 988 , the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline , to speak with a trained crisis intervention spe...

We are thrilled to share our dynamic conversation with Paul Diaz. Paul is a Business Representative with Iron Workers Local 29 . With nearly twenty years of experience in ironwork, Paul brings a fascinating, heartfelt, and engaging perspective to mental wellness and suicide prevention.  In this episode, Paul lays out how Iron Workers Local 29 is promoting suicide prevention, creating a more positi...

We are thrilled to share our conversation with George Carrillo. George was the former Executive Director of LatinoBuilt. He is now the Chief Executive Officer of the National Hispanic Construction Alliance . He is a staunch advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) with deep expertise in labor relations and union contracts. He works to challenge inequitable policies and actively dismantl...

We are excited to share our conversation with Rebecca Garza. Rebecca is a Health Promotion Strategist at the Oregon Health Authority. She supports strategic communications and mobilization initiatives and is the lead for the Rethink the Drink(RTD) brand. Rebecca earned a Master of Science in Medical Anthropology and Cross-Cultural Practice at Boston University School of Medicine.  Rebecca shared O...

We are excited to share our conversation with Adam Garske. Adam Garske is a Project Engineer for Hoffman Construction and the Chairman of the Resource Technology subcommittee within their wellness task force. He provides insightful and personal background information about the needs and rationale behind the GUTS (Getting Us There Safe) room concept. The GUTS room is a versatile space for craftwork...

We are excited to share our conversation with Dr. Leslie Hammer. Dr. Hammer specializes in the effects of workplace conditions, including supportive supervision at work and occupational stress, on workplace mental health and well-being. She is the Associate Director of Applied Research and Professor with the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences at Oregon Health & Science University...

We are excited to share our conversation with Christi Pilutik. Christi is the founder and president of ALTA Consulting. Coming from a long line of construction professionals, she has an intimate knowledge of the unique challenges facing the construction community, including their families, and what it needs to thrive.     We talked to Christi about simple and realistic steps companies can take to...

We are excited to share our conversation with Hunter Moen. Our long-time listeners will remember that Hunter conceived and is one of the original hosts of Boom Goes the Stigma. Hunter is now the QPR training specialist at Lines for Life. QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer) is an evidence-based suicide prevention training program. During this episode, we reminisce on the early days of the podcast,...

We are excited to share our conversation with Pat Daniels, the Founder and Executive Director of Constructing Hope. Constructing Hope’s mission is to rebuild the lives of people in the Portland community by encouraging self-sufficiency through skills training and education in the construction industry. Constructing Hope provides no-cost, ten-week construction training programs, placement services,...

The Construction Suicide Prevention Partnership crew has wrapped up recording our next series of podcasts! In this teaser, you will get caught up on what we have been doing since our last season ended and what we have in the hopper moving forward. You'll also get a sneak peek at the guest list for the rest of the season!  Throughout the fall, we will release new episodes of Boom Goes the Stig...

Here is our season one finale episode of Boom Goes the Stigma! We are excited to share our conversation with Dr. John W. McIlvee. Dr. Mcllvee serves as the State Opioid Treatment Authority (SOTA) for the State of Oregon and is the manager of the Healthcare Professionals Service Program (HPSP). He is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, has several years of direct clinical experience in treating pat...

We are excited to share our conversation with Dr. Andy Walmsley from Building Wellness , a nonprofit in New Zealand that focuses on supporting mental well-being and reducing suicide rates in the construction industry.    Dr. Andy’s Ph. D. explored help-seeking attitudes and behaviors among men within the New Zealand construction industry. He chose his Ph. D. topic to offer practical help to addres...