The Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) is proud to announce the creation and distribution of one its most requested safety and health resources to the public, a 22-minute mental health awareness and suicide prevention video.

"Construction has one of the highest rates of death by suicide of all industries in the United States, about four times higher than the general population," said Robert Beck, MCAA president. "Rethinking how our industry approaches mental health will have immediate impacts."

MCAA has long touted a 20-year track record of safety excellence and loudly voiced a commitment to make job sites safer for the mechanical industry and all construction workers nationwide. 

"Today's announcement is a culmination of years of planning and development, and is a win for employers, workers, families, and for safety & health", said Raffi Elchemmas, MCAA executive director of safety, health and risk management. "As one of the industry's leaders in safety & health it is our responsibility to share our knowledge and resources on this topic and we are proud to do it."

Historically, MCAA safety and health resources have been made available exclusively to MCAA members, but today, in a first-of-its-kind move, MCAA shares one of the most impactful videos with the industry and general public, Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention.

In a statement, the United Association (UA) General President Mark McManus, said, "Our joint investment to spread awareness and normalize conversations around this issue could be one of the biggest opportunities to impact safety and health across our entire industry today. Mental health has a personal impact on so many people; everyone has a story; everyone is dealing with things on and off the jobsite."

The public video can be found at YouTube.com/@MCAAmerica or directly here in English or Spanish.

For more information, please visit mcaa.org.