2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Using the Delphi Method to Identify Causes of High Suicide Rates among Construction Workers

Presented at CONST 8 - Well‑Being, Equity, and Professional Skills in Construction Education

Suicide remains a leading cause of mortality among construction workers, with rates significantly higher than those observed in most other occupations. Despite the growing awareness of this crisis, research on its underlying causes within the construction industry remains fragmented. This study employs the Delphi Method to systematically identify and prioritize the factors contributing to elevated suicide risk among construction workers. A panel of experts representing occupational safety, construction management, mental health, and public health was convened to participate in three iterative survey rounds. The process facilitated structured consensus on key causal domains, including job insecurity, chronic pain and injury, long working hours, workplace culture, and limited access to mental health resources. Findings highlight the complex interplay of psychosocial, organizational, and economic stressors that exacerbate vulnerability in this workforce. By integrating expert consensus across disciplines, the study provides a robust framework to inform targeted interventions, industry policies, and educational initiatives aimed at suicide prevention in construction. This research contributes to engineering education and practice by emphasizing the importance of worker well-being as a core element of construction safety and sustainability.

Authors

Ms. Lisa Renia Brown
Dr. He Wen http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-4181-4724 Indiana State University [biography]

Dr. He Wen is currently an Assistant Professor at Indiana State University, specializing in safety management and AI safety. Previously, Dr. Wen served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta. His diverse academic background includes an MBA from Peking University, a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering through a collaborative program between Texas A&M University and Memorial University of Newfoundland, and advanced degrees in Safety Engineering.
Dr. Wen has over seven years of professional experience in safety technology and management, including roles such as Safety Engineer/Manager at Lenovo Group and Branch Vice President at Inspur Group. He is a certified National Registered Safety Engineer in China and a registered expert with international standards organizations such as IEC/TC111 and ITU-T/SG5.
A prolific researcher, Dr. Wen has published 31 peer-reviewed articles and is an active reviewer for 24 esteemed journals (with 100+ reviews) like Reliability Engineering & System Safety, Computers & Chemical Engineering, and Journal of Construction and Engineering Management. His research interests include AI safety, human-AI conflict, accident causation models, and project risk simulation, which are widely across process safety, construction safety, and occupational safety.
Dr. Charmaine Mullins Jaime Indiana State University
Andy Perry Indiana State University
Wesley Bedwell Indiana State University

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