Leading with Vulnerability: Josh Vitale on Mental Health and Safety in Construction

On The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, we spend a lot of time talking about systems, processes, and technology,  the things that keep people safe at work. But every now and then, an episode comes along that reminds us that safety is more than engineering controls and compliance checklists. It’s about people and their lives. And sometimes, it’s about acknowledging the silent struggles happening right next to us.

This week, in recognition of National Suicide Prevention Week, I had the privilege of sitting down with Josh Vitale,  a leader who has seen firsthand how mental health intersects with safety in the workplace, especially in industries like construction, where stress runs high and support often runs thin. His story is raw, powerful, and deeply human. And it’s a reminder that if we’re serious about safety, we can’t leave mental health out of the conversation.

The Scale of the Crisis

Josh opened up about one of the largest projects he ever worked on, with nearly 7,500 workers at its peak, close to 40 million man-hours logged. The sheer scale of that job site was staggering. But what struck me even more was the invisible crisis happening beneath the surface.

Right now, in construction, 25% of the workforce is actively experiencing a mental health crisis. That means one in four people on any given job site is battling suicidal thoughts, clinical depression, or severe anxiety. Imagine looking around your team and knowing that every fourth person is silently struggling with something that could end their life.

We often think about risk in terms of falls, machine hazards, or chemical exposures. But the data is clear: suicide is one of the leading causes of death in construction, far exceeding many of the physical dangers we’ve engineered solutions for. Ignoring that reality doesn’t just cost productivity; it costs lives.

The Power of Listening and Vulnerability

One of the most moving parts of our conversation was when Josh described sitting next to someone in crisis, terrified he might say the wrong thing. In that moment, he realized he didn’t need the perfect words or a scripted response. What he had was his ability to listen and his willingness to be vulnerable.

Josh shared openly that he himself lived with suicidal ideation for over 20 years. By admitting that, by letting his guard down, he created space for someone else to share what they were going through. Vulnerability wasn’t a weakness; it was the bridge that made connection possible.

As leaders, we often feel the pressure to have the answers, to stay strong, to never show cracks. But Josh reminded us that leading with vulnerability is one of the most powerful things we can do. When we admit our own struggles, when we talk about therapy, about personal challenges, about our kids or families battling issues like addiction, we normalize the reality that everyone faces hardship. And in doing so, we create workplaces where people feel safe being human.

Why Systems Still Matter

Even as Josh shared deeply personal stories, one theme remained constant: safety is never about blaming individuals. He emphasized that 85% of incidents stem from flawed systems, not careless workers. And that applies to mental health as much as it does to physical safety.

If the culture of a workplace discourages vulnerability, if production pressure consistently overrides well-being, if the only message workers hear is “be aware” instead of “we’ll design better processes,” then leadership has failed.

Josh described how simple system changes can eliminate hazards before they arise, like engineering forklift screen timeouts that prevent accidents without requiring constant vigilance from operators. The same thinking applies to mental health: building structures of support, embedding mental health conversations into team check-ins, and removing the stigma around seeking help are all systemic interventions.

When leaders prioritize system design over finger-pointing, they move from reacting to tragedies to proactively creating environments where people can thrive.

Culture Is the Real Driver

Processes and systems matter, but culture is what sustains them. Josh talked about the role of weekly pulse surveys, peer recognition, and open dialogue in shaping a culture of safety that includes mental health.

Culture is created in the stories leaders choose to tell. If all we talk about are incident rates and productivity metrics, we send the message that people’s humanity is secondary. But if we share our own experiences with therapy, stress, or family struggles, we show that it’s safe to be real.

That shift isn’t just feel-good. It’s transformative. Employees who feel safe being themselves are more engaged, more productive, and more likely to look out for one another. Safety becomes less about compliance and more about collective care.

A Call to Leaders During National Suicide Prevention Week

This episode is a reminder that National Suicide Prevention Week isn’t just about awareness, it’s about action. As leaders, we can’t delegate mental health to HR or rely on a once-a-year training. We need to integrate it into the way we lead every day.

That means checking in with our teams not just about tasks, but about how they’re really doing. It means telling our own stories so others feel safe to share theirs. It means engineering systems and cultures that reduce risk instead of placing the entire burden on individual resilience.

Josh’s courage in sharing his story is a model for all of us. His willingness to say, “I’ve struggled too,” is exactly the kind of leadership we need to break the silence around mental health.

Closing Thoughts

Safety is not just about hard hats and harnesses. It’s about people. And people are complex, with struggles, stories, and vulnerabilities that don’t disappear when they clock in for a shift.

Josh Vitale’s insights challenge us to expand our definition of safety. To recognize that a job site where one in four workers is in crisis is not truly safe, no matter how many physical hazards we’ve eliminated. To lead not just with authority, but with vulnerability.

As we mark National Suicide Prevention Week, let’s commit to creating workplaces where people feel seen, heard, and supported, not just as workers, but as human beings. Because at the end of the day, the most important measure of safety isn’t productivity or compliance. It’s lives saved.

🎧 You can listen to the full conversation with Josh Vitale on The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management.