Heat and Mental Health in Construction: Why Hot Weather Can Increase Suicide Risk
At 3:00 am, on many weekdays in the Summer, most people are sleeping.
But in the South, when the temperature is expected to be 94◦ F with 50% humidity – which translates as “it feels like 104◦ F” – Scott Satory, a commercial roofing company owner - is getting his crew started under portable lights.
Not because the schedule demanded a 3:00 am start.
Not because the customer requested it.
Because the heat did.
What this business owner understands about the heat is two-fold:
94◦ F degrees on the ground means it could be anywhere from 5◦ F – 50◦ F hotter on the roof (dependent on surface type and sunlight exposure).
The implications of heat on his crew – dehydration, fatigue, heat exhaustion and stroke – can be deadly.
What he learned, compliments of our partnership, is that heat is also a workplace risk factor that can increase the risk of anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts and suicide. To put it simply: when temperatures rise, mental health risks – including suicidal behavior do too.
Which means by starting his summer jobs at 3:00 am, he’s providing a protective factor that could disrupt a suicidal pathway.
How Heat Affects Mental Health and Suicide Risk
There are associations between higher temperatures and increases in mental health-related emergency department visits, psychiatric hospitalizations and suicidal behavior.(1)
The reasons continue to be studied, however when compiling current research, it’s believed that heat acts as a multiplier of risk:(2)
Physically: Fatigue, dehydration, headaches, dizziness, poor concentration, slower reaction times and disrupted sleep can leave workers drained, lessening their capacity to regulate emotions.
Psychologically: The physical strain can increase stress, anxiety, irritability, frustration, and emotional overwhelm. A challenge that typically feels “manageable” could become harder to navigate.
Behaviorally: Heat changes how people cope. Poor sleep, lower motivation, reduced physical activity and withdrawing from healthy routines can chip away at the very behaviors that help protect mental health.
Socially: Heat can increase isolation. Some will choose to spend less time engaging with coworkers, friends, family, losing important moments of connection—one of the strongest protective factors for mental health.
How Construction Leaders Can Reduce Heat-Related Mental Health Risks
Building regulations, noise ordinances, worker-family conflicts – the list is long as to why a 3 AM start time might never be an option. Thankfully there are several others:
Bid Jobs Accordingly: Heat slows production and requires more frequent recovery breaks. Build realistic labor hours into estimates instead of expecting crews to maintain the same pace in dangerous conditions.
Watch Out for Each Other: Every crew member is responsible for one another. Train workers to recognize when someone is "falling out"* from heat exposure and encourage them to check in when someone doesn't seem like themselves. Heat can impair judgment, making peer awareness even more important.
Provide Water, Electrolytes and Ice: Water, sports drinks or electrolyte replacement, and ice should be readily available. Don't assume workers will always bring enough themselves.
Recognize the Effort: Thank your workers for showing up and working hard in difficult conditions. Feeling valued and supported at work strengthens one of the workplace factors most closely associated with better mental health.
There’s a lot we cannot control in construction – the weather being one of them.
But leadership is a choice.
Every decision - from adjusting schedules to recognizing a crew's hard work - can either increase exposure to workplace risks or reduce it.
It’s why protecting workers starts with recognizing the risks we can see.
And responding to those we cannot.
*Falling-out is industry slang in some regions. It meanssomeone is overheated or suffering heat exhaustion/heat stroke, feeling faint/dizzy, collapsing or passing out, suddenly becoming physically unable to keep working.
Research to support article content: