Here’s a glimpse into my TikTok algorithm. I came across a video that said some of the trades with the highest rates of anxiety, stress and depression are Laborers, Plasterers and Operating Engineers. All three are building trades, and it really got me thinking. My dad was in the trades, my ex-husband is in the trades, my brother, cousins, my 18-year-old son and so many of my friends are too. So, when I heard that, my first thought was, “Why?”

I agree with Rich (Jones) that it has to be more than personal issues or bad assumptions. These jobs are stressful. Anyone who’s been around construction for any length of time knows the pressure is real. Every day it’s schedules, deadlines, manpower shortages, weather delays and the constant push to get the job done while staying under budget.

That pressure isn’t just on the people doing the physical work. It lands on the superintendents, foremen and crew leaders too. They’re constantly hearing about production, budgets, labor hours and keeping the job moving. Stay under budget. Save hours. Get it done. Day after day.

Eventually, all that stress rolls downhill and turns into this avalanche of frustration, self-doubt and pressure that people carry around every single day.

I understand construction is a business and money matters. I’m not naïve to that. Sometimes it feels like the budget becomes the main goal. Not safety. Not quality. Just numbers on a spreadsheet.

After a recent conversation with Insulators LMCT Executive Director Pete Ielmini, I had gone down a TikTok rabbit hole, watching videos from workers on jobsites discussing exactly these issues. Study after study says construction workers experience higher rates of stress, anxiety and depression than many other professions because of long hours, heavy workloads, tight deadlines and lack of support.

However, part of me also wonders whether those stress factors exist in many professions. Brain surgeons, first responders, air traffic controllers, people who deal with life-and-death situations every day — they all carry tremendous pressure too.

When I had surgery last year, I remember asking my surgeon if she got a good night’s sleep and if her head was in the game that day. Then I said a prayer, the anesthesiologist gave me the magic medicine and it was “Say goodnight, Gracie” for me.  For me, the bigger point is that mental health isn’t separate from safety; it is safety.

We’ve spent years talking about hard hats, harnesses, confined space training and all the things that keep people physically safe. That’s important. Maybe it’s time we talk more openly about the mental and emotional toll this work takes, too. At the end of the day, success shouldn’t just be measured by whether a project came in under budget. It should also be measured by whether the people who built it went home safe, healthy and able to enjoy life with their families.

In my opinion, the men and women who are working in confined spaces, hundreds of feet in the air, in the heat, cold, rain and sometimes 12 hours a day, seven days a week, are absolutely going to have moments where they think, “I just want this to be over.”  A doctor can step away and generally know their position is still there when they come back. However, many tradespeople don’t always feel that same security. Sometimes they feel that if they stop, somebody else will take their place. 

Anyway, that’s my rant, much like Rich’s rant. My rant is over.  But I’m all in on this movement, too.