CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Construction workers are dying by suicide at alarming rates compared to other professions. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the suicide rate among male construction workers is 75% higher than men in the general population.

In an effort to combat the rising rates, Carolinas Associated General Contractors has announced a new program for workers and their family members to receive the support they need. The program, Youturn Health, grants individuals struggling with mental health the access to tools, such as peer coaching, online learning and family support.

While this program is offered virtually, some contractors have stepped into other roles to extend a hand to colleagues who may be struggling, and one of those is Mark Witherspoon.

For Witherspoon, working in construction became his calling. As he works as a boring and tunneling superintendent with Sanders Utility Construction, a hard hat is not the only hat he wears. Witherspoon is also a pastor at Gloryland Baptist Church.

“There’s things that I once struggled over, things that God has now given me victory over. It’s a hope of righteousness,” Witherspoon said to a church congregation during a Wednesday evening service.

As Witherspoon preaches about his experience with struggles, he’s reminded of a silent battle with mental health that looms over the industry he loves.

“We try to tell the guys, don’t take the work home, but it’s difficult to do that, so those things bleed over sometimes,” Witherspoon said.

The CDC reports in 2016, the construction industry had the highest rate of suicide at nearly 50 per 100,000 U.S. workers, putting it as an industry with one of the highest suicide rates compared to other industries.

“It’s a constant concern. I’ve been here for over 20 years and when I first started, it was the idea of just get in there and get it, you know, ‘big boys don’t cry type thing,’” Witherspoon said. “And so when you see the statistics and realize that there really are people that are hurting in the industry that we’re in, it’s a sobering thought. Honestly, it hurts your heart.”

Witherspoon believes the increasing suicide rate could be caused by a boom in construction and a shortage in workers, putting crews under pressure, working long hours in harsh temperatures, all while facing strict deadlines.

While Witherspoon helps where he can as a pastor, he said his crews’ hardhats carry a 988 suicide crisis hotline number to help anyone in need.

“We have an open-door policy that they can come to us at any time. We’ll close the door and have a conversation, and if they need help that we can’t give them ourselves then we will help them find the help that they need,” Witherspoon said. “If the work has got to stop for a little bit for us to get them the help that they need, then that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

Carolina’s Associated General Contractors is offering a suicide prevention training where workers can become certified as a Gatekeeper of Suicide Prevention within the construction industry. To find out more information about the session, you can visit its website here.

If you or someone you know needs help, contact the suicide and crisis lifeline by dialing 988.