Exploratory Study on Construction Workers Mental Health

Respect for people is a foundational Lean Construction principle which has received renewed attention since the COVID-19 pandemic when mental health issues became a major discussion topic.While governmental organizations track deaths by suicide and fatality rates, little is known about other mental health indicators in construction sites.This paper shares partial results of an ongoing research project on construction workers mental health (CWMH).A survey was developed with support of an industry advisory board.The national survey was deployed in the United States and received 151 usable responses by the end of 2024.Preliminary descriptive statistical analysis reveals that 40% of the respondents indicated that they agree or strongly agree that their work is more stressful than they ever imagined, whereas 57% indicated that they had little pleasure in doing things at least several days over the past month, a measure of depression.Regarding belongingness, 74% of respondents answered that they agree or strongly agree that they are treated as valued members of their work group.Results suggest that while workers are under stress, and might show signs of depression, belongingness is a strong element, which can be used as a lever to address CWMH issues.