NEWS
Construction CEOs set agenda to tackle suicide in construction industry
T op executives from America’ s largest construction companies and unions hosted the inaugural CEO Advisory Council meeting focused on preventing suicides in the construction industry. Members of the CEO Advisory Council gathered to evaluate current initiatives, discuss industry-wide strategies and establish goals to lower suicide rates and improve mental health across the construction industry. The meeting was hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention( AFSP) and executives attended from Bechtel, Fluor, Turner Construction, North America’ s Building Trades Unions( NABTU), Kiewit, Clark Construction and Skanska.
In October 2024, Bechtel formed the CEO Advisory Council as part of its US $ 7 million, five-year commitment to AFSP – the largest pledge in AFSP’ s history and the largest single donation from the Bechtel Group Foundation.
“ As leaders, it’ s our shared responsibility to help the construction professionals building our country get the resources and support they need to thrive,” said Brendan Bechtel, Bechtel Chairman and CEO.“ The high rate of suicide in the construction community demands that we find new and better solutions that prioritise
mental health as much as we do physical safety. The partnership between CEOs from some of the industry’ s biggest and best companies, along with AFSP, will help us all achieve this goal faster and more effectively.”
Skanska brings cutting-edge technology to London
S kanska has deployed the Schindler Robotic Installation System for Elevators( Schindler R. I. S. E) at the 105 Victoria Street project in central London. This marks the first time this cutting-edge technology is being used in the UK.
Schindler R. I. S. E is a self-climbing robot designed to navigate elevator shafts independently while installing components with precision and speed. Equipped with tools to drill holes and install anchor bolts, Schindler R. I. S. E significantly reduces human involvement in this part of the construction process, removing workers from the noisy, repetitive and dusty tasks of drilling and setting anchor bolts required for landing doors, divider beams and wall brackets. These physically demanding tasks can lead to fatigue when performed at heights, but using a robot eliminates this risk. The specialist operator monitors the robot’ s movements via a remote-control panel, which not only accelerates work but also minimises risks of errors, rework or accidents.
“ Innovation and sustainability are at the heart of this new highrise in London, so it makes sense for 105 Victoria Street to be the first in the UK to appoint Schindler R. I. S. E. We’ ve seen the advances in quality, speed and safety that the robots bring to projects around the world and as automation becomes a bigger part of the construction process, it makes sense to utilise it at a building’ s core,” said Stuart Cross, Managing Director of Schindler UK & Ireland.
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