Team members at Moss & Associates conduct their daily safety meeting. Photo courtesy of Moss & Associates.
A Mind for Safety
Mental Wellbeing Becomes a Core Focus for Protecting the Jobsite
By Autumn Cafiero Giusti
KEY TAKEAWAYS
➤ Mental wellbeing directly impacts jobsite safety, affecting focus, decision-making, and incident prevention.
➤ Simple, low-cost conversations and toolbox talks help normalize mental health and strengthen safety culture.
➤ Hawaii’s construction industry is treating mental health as a shared safety responsibility, not a personal issue.
This article appeared in the Hawaii Contractor magazine, 2026, volume 25, issue 2.
Read the digital version here.
If you would like to be added to the mailing list for the next issue, please fill out this form.
Jobsite safety has always been about hard hats and harnesses.
Now, construction safety leaders in Hawaii are working to spread the message that mental wellbeing is just as important as protective gear.
Katie Benson, the Safety Committee’s current chair, and Zoe DeMello, senior safety manager with Moss & Associates and vice-chair of the General Contractors Association of Hawaii (GCA) Safety Committee, have been working to carry out a major new initiative for GCA — to help construction companies across the state recognize mental health as a safety issue.
Linking Mental Health to Physical Safety
As recently as 10 or 15 years ago, mental well-being was regarded as a separate issue from construction safety — if it was addressed at all.
“For us, it’s not separate from safety. It is safety,” said Benson, who is also senior safety manager with Hensel Phelps Construction.
As construction companies recognize the connection between incident rates and decision-making abilities, mental wellbeing resources that were once considered a perk are now being elevated as a core business priority.
“When you look at the things that contribute to incidents — fatigue, distraction, rushing, poor communication — those are all influenced by what’s going on in someone’s life,” Benson said.
“We want to make checking in on your crew as normal as checking their fall-protection harness,” said DeMello.
TIPS FOR TOOLBOX TALKS
QUESTIONS EVERY CREW SHOULD ASK:
- How’s everyone doing today?
- Is anyone dealing with something that’s making it hard to focus?
- Are we watching out for ourselves and each other today?
- Does everyone understand today’s work plan?
- If someone needs help today, do you know who to talk to?
FOR SUPERVISORS, REMEMBER:
- Keep talks simple and conversational.
- Notice changes in worker behavior.
- Listen more than you talk.
- Don’t try to solve every problem.
- Connect people with available resources.
- Follow up daily.
The push to raise awareness about mental health has taken place under the leadership of Michael Inouye, who identified the issue as one of his top priorities after becoming president of GCA of Hawaii this year.
Traditionally, construction has focused on protecting workers from physical hazards on the jobsite.
“As much as those risks are still a priority, we’re starting to learn that obviously a worker’s mental state can also have a big influence on whether they go home at the end of the day or not,” DeMello said.
2026 GCA President Michael Inouye (left) and Katie Benson, GCA’s Safety Committee Chair (right) speak at the 2026 GCA Safety Awards.
When an individual encounters stress, lack of sleep, and other distractions outside of work, those issues can affect the individual’s attention and judgment on the jobsite. Even a brief lapse in concentration can lead to serious injuries — not only for the individual, but also for those working in close proximity, DeMello said.
“Mental wellbeing is just another factor that could influence safety performance,” she said.
“It recognizes that people are fallible and make mistakes. They’re often influenced by systems, processes, and the conditions in which they work — so it’s not simply an individual’s choice.”
Zoe DeMello
In establishing best practices for mental health in construction, the industry has been able to build on strides it has made in reducing physical hazards through better training, engineering controls, and stronger safety programs.
“As those programs started to mature, we’ve also evolved in how we think about human performance in general,” DeMello said.
Whereas companies previously relied on safety programs focused more on changing worker behaviors to prevent incidents, the industry is increasingly embracing the concept of HOP — Human and Organizational Performance.
“It recognizes that people are fallible and make mistakes. They’re often influenced by systems, processes, and the conditions in which they work — so it’s not simply an individual’s choice,” DeMello said.
Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company held a harness race for Construction Safety Week. Photo courtesy of Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company, Inc.
Hawaii's Unique Sources of Stress
Challenging jobsite conditions, demanding hours, and the work and family balancing act are universal stressors across the construction industry. But being a construction worker in Hawaii comes with a distinct set of challenges and cultural expectations, with the stress of the “Hawaii premium” — the state’s high cost of living — near the top of that list.
“I don’t think anybody needs to be reminded how expensive it is to live here. A lot of people are balancing rent, raising families, caring for other family members, and maybe working more than one job to make ends meet,” Benson said.
“I don’t think anybody needs to be reminded how expensive it is to live here. A lot of people are balancing rent, raising families, caring for other family members, and maybe working more than one job to make ends meet.”
Katie Benson
While Hawaii’s community-oriented culture promotes family ties as a source of strength, those ties can also come with a significant financial responsibility. “And it doesn’t simply disappear when people come into work,” DeMello said
Financial stress can quickly escalate from being a personal issue into a safety hazard that affects concentration and reaction times.
“When someone loses sleep over a mortgage payment or rising bills, they’re not bringing their best self to the job,” DeMello said, adding that operating heavy machines or working at heights demands complete focus. “A momentary distraction caused by stress can lead to a life-altering incident,” she said.
Small Contractors, Big Impacts
Providing mental health resources can be daunting for firms with limited budgets. That’s a real concern for GCA’s membership base, much of which consists of small-to-midsize companies.
DeMello said there’s a common misconception that supporting mental wellbeing requires a significant financial investment. “In reality, some of the most effective strategies actually cost very little,” she said.
Those strategies could be as simple as having super-visors set aside a few minutes each day to check in with their crews to see how everyone is doing. “Those simple questions build trust and help employees know that their wellbeing actually matters when they come to a jobsite,” DeMello said.
When it comes to mental wellbeing and safety, smaller contractors may actually have an advantage over their larger counterparts, as smaller crews tend to be more tight-knit groups in which everyone knows each other, Benson said.
“There’s a lot more trust and day-to-day interaction. That means you don’t necessarily need to have a large budget to make a difference,” she said.
One way smaller companies can use size to their advantage is through toolbox talks — informal safety meetings supervisors can conduct on the jobsite at the start of a shift.
Safety in action on a Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company jobsite. Photo courtesy of Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company, Inc.
A toolbox talk doesn’t have to be complicated or overly scripted, and the most effective talks foster open dialogues through relaxed, informal interactions.
“The goal is simply to make mental wellbeing part of the daily safety conversation,” DeMello said.
Leading by example is an important part of the process, Benson said. “If leaders show it’s OK to have honest conversations, everyone else will feel more comfortable doing the same,” Benson said.
Making these conversations part of a daily routine helps normalize mental wellbeing as part of a company’s overall safety culture and encourages employees to come forward if they are having issues at home or outside of work.
Holding these talks presents an opportunity for supervisors to pay attention to any changes in the behavior
of workers and to offer company and community support to their teams.
“Learn to listen more than talk, try not to solve every problem, and help connect people with available resources,” Benson said.
Making these conversations part of a daily routine helps normalize mental wellbeing as part of a company’s overall safety culture and encourages employees to come forward if they are having issues at home or outside of work, DeMello said.
These talks also help employees get in the habit of looking out for one another so they can recognize when someone is struggling and offer support. “When safety becomes a shared responsibility rather than just a checklist, workers feel empowered to support a teammate in need,” DeMello said.
For construction companies in Hawaii, the good news is that valuing and appreciating the well-being of others is already part of the culture, DeMello said.
“The spirit of Mahalo and Ohana naturally extends to the jobsite,” she said.
This article appeared in the Hawaii Contractor magazine, 2026, volume 25, issue 2.
Read the digital version here.
If you would like to be added to the mailing list for the next issue, please fill out this form.