Clayco Tackles ‘Burnout’ as Jobsite Safety Risk in New Initiative

Design-build firm joins the National Alliance on Mental Illness to address psychological safety, education and awareness for construction craft workers

Chicago-based Clayco says it has partnered with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to address the psychological effects of construction trade worker “burnout” and examine how recognizing the signs of the condition could help reduce jobsite safety risks.

As industry-wide suicide prevention and mental health care awareness grows, Vice President of Field Culture and Inclusion Dan Lester at Clayco, an ENR top 4-ranked design-build firm, tells ENR that there is a “business imperative” to address burnout—a diagnosable medical condition defined as a state of severe physical, mental and emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged stress—before it progresses to mental illness. Although he says it is difficult to put an exact dollar amount on financial costs tied to burnout, Clayco found that more than one-third of craft workers across the industry said they had missed work because of mental health concerns within the past 12 months in a 2025 survey completed in partnership with the alliance.

“The nature of construction work will potentially pose mental health challenges for workers on the jobsite, but it is completely realistic to improve how we provide mental health support and prioritize psychological safety on jobsites,” says Lester. “That starts by creating a culture where burnout and depression are not seen as weaknesses, and talking about mental health challenges and seeking help is seen as a show of strength, not something to be embarrassed or fearful of.”

Clayco’s move to address burnout comes follows its Construction Industry Mental Health Support Pledge last year, calling on AEC firms to adopt a set of best practices “to foster a culture where workers feel empowered to speak openly about mental health issues and have access to treatment and support options.” At Clayco, Lester says that pledge has crystallized in Clayco Cares, which promotes the company’s Employee Assistance Program and positive mental health practices. 

“That commitment includes providing the resources and support necessary to ensure that anyone—regardless of whether they work in an office or on a jobsite—has access to mental health treatment options,” says Lester. “It also includes offering the safety and confidence to know that if they do report a mental health issue to a colleague or superior, that they won’t be discriminated against or treated differently at work.”

Lester says Clayco has also begun rolling out VitalCog Suicide Prevention, a training program designed to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues and promote help-seeking behaviors. In support of this, he adds that the firm also has a group of employees training to become mental health first aid certified.

“The irony is that an overwhelming majority of construction workers (91%) we surveyed last year said they would be willing to support a fellow construction worker experiencing mental health challenges,” says Lester. However, fear and embarrassment prevent many employees from taking steps to get help, with Clayco finding 45% of construction craft workers surveyed across the industry saying they would feel ashamed talking about their mental health issues with their coworkers. Additionally, Clayco’s survey found 37% of workers said they had experienced discrimination or unfair treatment at work if they have sought mental health services or support.

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Clayco Vice President of Field Culture and Inclusion Dan Lester says there is a “business imperative” to address burnout across jobsites. (Photo courtesy Clayco)

Battling Burnout

Due to the physically demanding nature of their construction work, craft workers may find it challenging to strike a work-life balance, says Meg Delp, the allicance director of workplace mental health. “Especially in very fast-paced industries with tight project deadlines, workers sometimes feel like there’s little to no room for themselves to pause and say that they need support,” she says. 

The group’s 2026 NAMI Workplace Mental Health Poll found that  53% of employees said they experienced burnout and 37% of workers said they felt so overwhelmed at work that it was hard to perform their jobs.

In order to close the gap on such challenges with solutions, the industry must move forward together, says Delp. “Preventing and healing from burnout is not an individual responsibility—it requires a long-term, sustainable team effort to prevent and combat,” she adds. 

Last year, leaders of Bechtel, Fluor, Turner Construction Co., North America’s Building Trades Unions, Kiewit, Clark Construction and Skanska gathered in a first meeting of the CEO Advisory Council on industry suicide prevention. Clayco is not a member.

Setting Guidelines

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration has increasingly recognized psychological safety challenges such as stress, fatigue and poor mental health among its workplace safety issues, encouraging industries to adopt a “Total Worker Health” approach to safety in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 

“The International Standard for occupational health and safety (ISO) 45001 is also an important framework because it includes psychosocial risks as part of occupational health and safety management,” says Delp. “Organizations can use this framework to address issues like stress, workload, fatigue, bullying, and worker engagement. ISO 45003 builds on this with specific guidance for psychological health and safety at work.”

Lester adds, “While it is important to intervene and help that worker, we can’t just rely on ‘referring out’ workers to treatment, as that is often just a band-aid if the culture itself doesn’t change. We have to work to fix the systems that cause distress in the first place.”