This week, I went to Baytown, Texas, an oil boom town 30 minutes outside of Houston, to present at Axios Industrial Group’s Leadership Meeting. Axios provides industrial scaffolding, insulation, coatings, maintenance, and other specialty services for the petroleum industry. Sharing CSPP’s resources and services and talking to their team members, who work throughout the Southern States, reinforced what I see in our NW region outreach: the construction industry is prioritizing and destigmatizing mental health, and yes, this is true for the petrochemical industry in the deep South, too.
On my ride into Baytown, I took in the skyline filled with fire stack flares and smokestack clouds towering over a seemingly infinite series of steel pipes. Stepping out of my Lyft, the chemical odor mixed with the ocean air cured my jet lag and opened my eyes to what it takes to make our country thrive.
I was awestruck and humbled by the size, smell, and scale of these refineries. The ingenuity and work ethic to build and operate these facilities are beyond my comprehension. However, the community and environmental sacrifice required to work in this industry is palpable.
At dinner, I asked the hotel staff about the smell, and they kindly said, “Yep, welcome to the carcinogenic coast.”
As CSSP’s project director, I am not an environmental activist or social commentator, but I know that prioritizing mental wellness can seem naively idealistic in areas that sacrifice clean air and water for energy and employment–and, yes, these painful scenarios are happening in communities across our country. Solutions, unlike oil and gas, are hard to find.
I find hope in two things. First, the people I met. Everyone had situational awareness; they needed zero assistance or outsider explanations from me. Still, they were open, genuine, and kind in sharing their on-the-ground challenges and reality.
Second, I am skeptically optimistic because this small sector of the petrochemical industry provided CSPP with a platform to talk openly about suicide, substance abuse, and mental health and share resources with their teams.
As CSPP strives to be a hub and a go-to resource for all construction industry sectors, this outreach effort motivates our group to find new ways to serve people who work and support their families in dangerous and socioeconomically complex environments.
I will stop writing now; some pics of Baytown, TX, are below.
