Mental Health Awareness
Written By: Jennifer Gabel
The crane industry is often lauded for its strength, resilience, and critical role in infrastructure development. However, beneath the towering cranes and bustling job sites lies a silent struggle that affects the very backbone of this industry – the mental health of its workforce.
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Understanding the Scope Mental health challenges in the crane industry are multifaceted. Workers often face high- pressure environments, long hours, and isolation while operating heavy machinery. The physical dangers are well-documented, but the psychological toll remains largely overlooked. This oversight can have profound implications for both individual well-being and overall workforce development. The Skilled Labor Gap In nearly every meeting over the past decade, the crane industry has highlighted the need to address the skilled workforce issue: namely, we’re losing more talented people than we are gaining. To address this, industry leaders have been hosting or attending career-oriented events to raise awareness of the industry. Presenters and spokespeople have especially emphasized the great pay without the need for student loan debt. However,, does this address the root cause of the skilled labor gap? Consider what’s happening in South Korea. The death rate exceeds the birth rate, posing great economic risk. To correct this, the government has offered financial incentives and benefits to encourage its citizens to have children. The problem? It’s not working, likely because it’s not addressing the root cause of why South Korean women are choosing not to marry or have children. There’s a movement of South Korean women who are boycotting their countrymen because they don’t like how they are treated. Financial incentives and benefits don’t address poor treatment or inequality. Women don’t want to be with men who don’t treat them well, period. The pay and benefits don’t matter compared to their actual lived experience.
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