Toolbox Talks are an established practice in the construction industry and are an effective way to normalize conversations about mental health. They help connect psychological safety with job site safety, reinforce the relationship between mental health and job performance, and contribute to a culture that prioritizes worker well-being. This competition highlights innovative, safe, and effective mental health toolbox talks that others can learn from and adapt within their own organizations.
What: Submit a 3–5 minute video demonstrating a mental health Toolbox Talk that could be delivered to a construction crew. Choose one mental health topic that is meaningful to your workforce and deliver it in a way that is engaging, practical, and psychologically safe.
Consider any one of these areas:
- Addiction recovery
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Burnout
- Conflict resolution
- Connection to family
- Emotional intelligence
- Emotion or thought regulation
- Gratitude
- Grief and loss
- Helping others
- Helping yourself/self-care
- Leadership during crisis
- Lived experience
- Loneliness and social support
- Numbing behaviors; drug and alcohol abuse
- Overdose prevention
- Pain management
- Psychological safety
- Resilient relationships
- Sleep
- Stigma and barriers to help-seeking
- Stress and threat responses
- Suicide prevention
- Suicide or overdose loss
- Supporting kids and youth going through tough times
- Trauma
- Traveling and loss of connectivity
- Veterans among our workforce
In just 3-5 minutes, you will not be able to cover a lot, so be sure to focus in on just a couple of talking points in these four main areas of mental health literacy (potential talking points suggested as bullet points below each topic):
- Information about the mental health topic you have chosen:
- Common symptoms or experiences
- Statistics
- Brain science
- Root causes
- Basic coping and emotional regulation skills
- Simple self-help tactics for mild to moderate emotional distress
- Basic psychological first aid to help yourself or others
- Access to mental health supports and services
- Identify ways to access a highly effective mental health resource related to your topic
- Describe “what to expect” from the resource
- Address stigma and bias by advocating for positive change
- Give a “call to action” for mental health improvements, peer support or cultural change
- Share a story of hope and recovery to offer a narrative of hope
Judging Criteria
- Content of Toolbox Talks
- Safe and Effective Messaging
- Engagement Quality
- Video Production
- Production quality is not the focus of this competition. Please ensure your video has clear sound and lighting so the talk can be understood and shared, but submissions will be judged primarily on authenticity, message clarity, practical relevance, connection with the intended audience, and potential impact in the field.
Who: Anyone who works in the construction industry is eligible. Submissions can be made by an individual, construction team or group, union, or other organization.
When: Submissions are due November 6th. A judging panel made up of members of the Construction Mental Health & Wellbeing Conference Toolbox Talks Committee will review all entries and select three finalists.
Finalist videos will be showcased during the Construction Mental Health & Wellbeing Conference on February 24–25 in Chicago, Illinois.
Conference attendees will vote live to determine first-, second-, and third-place winners. Winning videos will also be featured on the conference website and YouTube channel.
Finalist teams must have at least one representative present at the conference.
Link to the 2026 Highlight Reel Video to learn more about the Conference.
Finalist Videos:
2026 Toolbox Talk Winner: Haugland Group "You Good?"
Link to Video
Dimeo
Link to Video
Canyon State Electric
Link to Video
Example on how to do a Toolbox Talk:
Kabri Lehrman-Schmid, Hensel Phelps - Tutorial on how to give a Toolbox Talk
Link to Video
Mental Health Messaging Best Practices
For More information/Questions: Contact David James at dj14r2r@gmail.com or 602-820-0402