Long hours on macho worksites, injuries and high rates of suicide in the construction industry are costing the economy nearly $8 billion a year, according to new research. The Cost of Doing Nothing report released on Thursday estimates the cost of construction fatalities, injuries and illnesses at $6.1 billion in 2018 and the drain on the productivity of constant overtime at $708 million. People working in construction are twice as likely to commit suicide than the national average. The cost of mental ill-health was estimated at $643 million and the cost of a higher incidence of male construction worker suicides compared to other industries was $533 million. Reform was “critical” before COVID-19 but has become even more urgent from the strain of ongoing pandemic disruptions, the head of the Australian Constructors Association, Jon Davies, said. Nearly a quarter of people employed in construction work more than 50 hours per week, …