TOLEDO, Ohio — Every year, 5,500 to 6,000 construction workers take their life, according to the director of safety and training at Northwest Ohio Associated General Contractors, Greg Burkhart.
"It's a tough job, the guys are dedicated to the job, they want do the best they can," Burkhart said. "A lot of guys are working 10 to 12 hour days, five to six days a week. They're away from their families. It is very stressful."
Some deaths by suicide have happened while on the job.
"These guys work at heights, it would be easy to side-step a fall protection guard rail or harness and just accidentally fall," Burkhart said. "Maybe the family gets worker's comp benefits from that, but it's also not done at the house and the family doesn't have to think about it."
With construction being a male-dominated industry, national studies show men die by suicide three times more often than women.
The CDC reports the rate of suicides in male construction workers is 75% higher than the overall male population.
Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation director Tony Coder said that while one in five people struggle with mental health in the state of Ohio, the stigma placed around mental health may be what keeps these workers from coming forward.
"Men need to be able to share their feelings," Coder said. "They need to be able to express how they feel and not feel like they're getting ostracized, not feel like they're going to get made fun of."
Checking in on them and making them feel important is one way Coder said people can keep others from taking their lives. Asking questions about their life can go a long way in making a difference for that person.
"Hey, how you doing?" and "What's going on? I noticed you haven't been here the last couple days, is everything going OK?" are all simple yet powerful questions Coder said people should ask.
Coder says a few signs that a construction worker may be struggling is constant lack of sleep, performance or even complaining about their life.
Burkhart is also the board vice president of 2Tuff2Talk, a non-profit mental health organization in northwest Ohio that cares for people like construction workers helping them deal with their health.
On July 27, the group is bringing together local tradespeople for Clash of the Contractors in Rossford to have fun while addressing mental health in the industry.
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The National 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential support for anyone in distress and resources for anyone who may need help. By dialing 988, you can be connected with a local crisis center 24/7 for help. You can also chat online at 988lifeline.org.
If a situation involves immediate danger to you or a loved one, NAMI Greater Toledo says calling 911 and talking with police may be necessary. It is important to tell 911 that it is a psychiatric emergency and ask for police officers trained in crisis intervention.
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