Worker Well-being, Suicide, and Lean Construction – Unravelling the Global Silent Killer

Contemporary studies reveal that suicide rates in the construction industry have soared in the past two decades. Suicide in the industry is an international form of social waste that threatens the pursuits of lean theory. This study aims to advance the IGLC body of repertoire by i) providing an in-depth analysis of the status of the well-being of construction workers along with corresponding suicide patterns on a global scale based on contemporary studies, ii) establishing a connection between lean construction and industry-specific suicide risk factors and proposing a relevant framework for mitigating social waste, iii) proposing methods for intervention and future research for advancement. A total of 20 contemporary studies were carefully selected to be synthesized for this semi-systematic literature review. The CARE framework was proposed as a guideline for mitigating social waste. This paper promotes critical international cooperation and action and advances the concept of social waste within lean theory.