Southern Safety &
Mental Health Alliance
Help us build the first Human Safety Net.
Uniting operations, safety & HR leaders, in manufacturing, construction, government, and healthcare to eradicate suicide across trades and services.
Our mission:
Build an integrated physical and psychological safety system into a human safety net to catch workers before they fall. Join us as we build the first human safety net.
The Crisis
The Job Site Has Never Been Safer.
The Person On It Has Never Been More At Risk.
For decades, workplace safety focused on the physical environment. Through equipment, procedures, and rigorous compliance, safety leadership has saved countless lives and built a strong physical safety net across industries.
But the most dangerous hazard many workers carry today can't be seen on a jobsite inspection. It lives in stress, burnout, trauma, isolation, and untreated mental health struggles.
Over the past twenty years, suicide rates in America have risen nearly 40% — and the toll is highest among the people who build our roads, protect our communities, and serve our country. In construction alone, workers are now far more likely to die by suicide than from any on-site accident.
The stress doesn't clock out. It rides home. It affects spouses, kids, entire families. And without a system designed to catch it, it becomes a crisis no one saw coming.
The Alliance
Redefining what “safety first” truly means.
We believe protecting workers means protecting the whole person. If we're serious about safety first, mental wellbeing must become a core pillar of every safety program — not an awareness campaign, but an operating system.
The Alliance was formed by safety leaders, veterans, and first responder champions who saw a gap no policy or equipment could close. We're building the human safety net — a coordinated framework of trained leaders, peer support systems, and implementation tools that give workplaces what they need to act before crisis arrives.
We don't just talk about the problem. We build the solution.
Board of Directors
- Rachel Eigen, CSP, MISE
- Ann Lindsey, CSP, CIT
- Robert Loose, CSP
- Bill Sims
- Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas
Join us as an SSMHA Ambassador
Your name. Your organization. From the beginning.
We're assembling the leaders and organizations whose names will be attached to this work from day one. No financial commitment is required.
Ambassadors make a difference by…
- Sharing the SSMHA mission with others
- Reduced fees for SSMHA Membership & the Spring 2028 Charleston Conference
- Early access to Alliance resources and frameworks
- A seat at the table as this movement takes shape
Conference
SSMHA Conference
Charleston, South Carolina | Spring 2028
A conference that moves beyond awareness and builds tested solutions.
Most safety conferences focus on compliance. Most mental health conferences focus on awareness. This one is built for the organizations ready to move from talking about the problem to fixing it.
We're bringing together global thought leaders in safety, behavioral science, and mental health for a premier gathering designed to equip attendees with solid strategies to improve safety and mental health as soon as they return home.
What to expect:
- Five star keynotes from safety, behavioral science, and mental health thought leaders
- Breakout sessions on peer support design, culture change, and building effective mental health support systems
- Networking with the organizations leading this work nationally
- Full program details to come
Help Us Build the First Human Safety Net.
We invite organizations, sponsors, and partners who share this vision to build something transformational. Let's redefine what Safety First truly means — because the future of safety is human.
Mission Brief
Read Our Mission Brief
Read the SSMHA vision and roadmap for the future.
Download the Mission Brief