Should employers implement mental health training into their safety program?

OSHA puts a heavy focus each year on four categories: falls, struck by objects, caught between objects & electrocutions. These account for about 3 deaths each day within the US workforce. Currently, there are about 10-12 blue collar workers that are dying by suicide every day. Implementing suicide prevention training into your safety & health program can provide the resources they need to survive their feelings of hopelessness.

Meet the Expert

Jake Woolfenden is the owner of Summit Safety Group, a safety consulting firm that leads the Midwest in providing onsite & online safety training solutions, workplace assessments, written programs, and OSHA consulting to a variety of industries. 

Jake has been a speaker at numerous conferences & seminars around the country where he can be found speaking on anything from OSHA law, company culture, or advocating for mental health awareness within the blue collar trades. 

With a graduate degree in clinical counseling, and years of social work & counseling under his belt, Jake dove into the field of safety & health in 2009 when he worked with Harris Rebar, a large rebar installation and fabrication company with more than 70 offices in North America. Jake served as a field safety manager for multiple Harris locations throughout the country until purchasing Summit Safety Group in early 2014. 

Since owning Summit Safety Group, Jake & his team of consultants have continued to provide their clients with critical support regarding the federally mandated Occupational Safety & Health Administration standards they must adhere to. With offices in Springfield, Missouri, and Kansas City, Missouri, they have a unique ability to effectively serve businesses throughout Missouri, Kansas and the entire Midwest.