Hard Hat Courage is the construction industry’s collective commitment to save lives by making it safe to talk about our mental health—every day, on every jobsite.
Our mission is clear: to save lives across the construction industry by prioritizing our colleagues’ mental health just as much as their physical safety. Together, we’re equipping construction craft & industry professionals and their companies with the tools to take care of themselves and support each other— because every life matters, and every conversation counts.
Hard Hat Courage was founded in partnership between the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the nation’s leading organization dedicated to suicide prevention, and Bechtel, a trusted global engineering, construction, and project management partner. Rooted in AFSP’s evidence-informed prevention strategies and Bechtel’s decades of experience delivering complex mega-projects, Hard Hat Courage was built to confront the high rates of suicide in the construction community and evolve the industry into one that prioritizes mental health alongside physical safety. Engineered to scale, the cross-industry initiative will arm companies of all sizes with construction-specific mental health and suicide prevention resources and education.
Protecting Mind Safety on the Job
The construction industry has one of the highest suicide rates in the U.S. compared to other industries. Addressing risk factors unique to construction through evidence-informed suicide prevention programs and practices can save lives and improve the overall well-being of the workforce.
Tools for the Jobsite, Tools for Life
Through Hard Hat Courage, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has created free tools made for and designed with our partners in the construction industry to prevent suicide and help workplaces navigate loss. From toolbox talks to training for company and crew leaders and critical support for after a suicide—there’s something everyone in the construction industry can use both on and off the jobsite.
Make mental health a priority.
Check out our resources—available in both English and Spanish—to get started: https://hardhatcourage.com/resources.
Attend a Talk Saves Lives Construction Presentation.
AFSP’s flagship suicide prevention education program, Talk Saves Lives—which in 2025 earned recognition from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) on its Best Practices Registry (BPR)—provides critical information about risk factors, warning signs of suicide, and strategies to prevent it. AFSP now offers a construction-specific adaptation of Talk Saves Lives. Contact construction@afsp.org to learn how you can attend Talk Saves Lives: Construction or bring the program to your workplace.
The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) and AFSP have partnered to create a new self-paced, online version of *Talk Saves Lives: Introduction to Suicide Prevention in the Construction Industry*, available now through NCCER’s online learning platform. Enroll in the Talk Saves Lives: Construction online course for free today.
You can also reach out to your local AFSP chapter for more information. On Long Island, contact Ann Morrison-Pacella, Executive Director: amorrison@afsp.org | 347-913-2178.