<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3lmOyS_1GojcTQw00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3lmOyS_1GojcTQw00" width="814" height="429" ></figure>The New Jersey Institute of Technology and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825 started a pilot program. It uses QR codes to link construction workers with private mental health surveys and help. By Oct. 23, 202 people had tried the platform, according to NJIT Assistant Professor Roni Barak Ventura, as reported by NJBIZ.The program, called Protecting Under the Hard Hat, runs at a dozen sites in New Jersey and New York. Workers scan a poster or sticker and take a survey without giving a name. Based on the answers, the platform then points them to help.Stickers go inside restrooms. Posters hang outdoors where anyone can see them. Every code is unique, so the team knows which site a worker used and can tell whether stickers or posters draw more scans. Ventura said her team expects the stickers to win.All data is anonymous, Ventura said. Users can report signs of depression, substance use, or gambling trouble. She can also see whether they click the help links they are offered.Ventura built the web platform with NJIT Albert Dorman Honors College students Andrew Couto, Franco Giovannetti, and Krish Patel. A working prototype was ready by the start of 2026, and focus groups tested it. This past spring, the platform went live at a handful of sites in Essex and Hudson counties.Chris Lalevee, a business agent with Local 825, hands out the posters and stickers. He has run the union's Member Assistance Program since 2019. That program serves more than 7,800 active members and about 1,000 retirees."This data could inform future research directions, such as tracking workers' access to resources, finding patterns among those who complete the survey, and learning what actions they take," Ventura said, according to NJBIZ.When she started, Ventura said, there was nothing to study. "There was no data, because people don't talk about those issues," she said.Industry numbers show how large the problem is. A 2025 survey paid for by Clayco found that 64% of U.S. construction workers had faced anxiety or depression in the previous year. The survey also found that 28% reported substance-use disorders or struggles with other addictive behaviors.A September 2026 bulletin from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reported that more than 5,000 construction workers die by suicide each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the suicide rate in the industry runs about four times higher than the rate for the general population.There was one bit of better news. A February 2026 analysis by the Center for Construction Research and Training and North America's Building Trades Unions found the suicide rate fell to 41.9 deaths per 100,000 workers in 2024, down from 43.2 in 2023. The fatal overdose rate for workers ages 16 to 64 dropped 28.8%, to 94.8 per 100,000 from 135.0.Lalevee said the platform works like other job site safety tools. "When we work on a construction site, we have a fire extinguisher. There's no fire, but we have it in case. We have an AED machine. There aren't heart attacks happening every day, but we have it just in case," he said.Ventura said the team is adding employee assistance programs to the platform. Lalevee said only 4% of workers use those programs across industries. To put that information on the website, Ventura said, the team must coordinate with unions and employee assistance program providers. The team is also seeking money from outside groups so it can grow past the New York City area. Ventura wants to hire a coordinator who would handle requests for materials, study survey data, and oversee daily work. She said the team has no exact count of sites using the materials, since companies put them to use as they see fit.</div></body>

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The New Jersey Institute of Technology and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825 started a pilot program. It uses QR codes to link construction workers with private mental health surveys and help. By Oct. 23, 202 people had tried the platform, according to NJIT Assistant Professor Roni Barak Ventura, as reported by NJBIZ.

New Mental Health Platform Targets Construction Workers’ Well-Being

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The New Jersey Institute of Technology and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825 started a pilot program. It uses QR codes to link const

New Mental Health Platform Targets Construction Workers’ Well-Being

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