Half of male suicides worked in construction

Almost half of men who died by suicide in recent years had been working in the construction industry, a study has found.

Calls have been made for greater awareness in the workplace after the analysis also showed a quarter of women who took their lives had been employed in the healthcare sector.

The study examined 275 suicides and 32 open verdicts recorded by coroners across Cork City and county between Sept 2008 and Jun 2012. It found 80% were men, 57% were single men, and almost half (48.6%) had worked in the construction/production industry.