This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, you can reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. It is free, confidential, and available 24/7.
(InvestigateTV) — On any construction site, the dangers seem obvious. They are in the towering cranes, the heavy machinery, and the precarious heights of unfinished structures.
Construction is physically demanding work, with workers in great demand. While safety first is an industry motto, the greatest risk to their safety is not workplace accidents.
It’s suicide.
Research shows construction workers are six times more likely to lose their lives to suicide than any danger they may encounter on the job site. The numbers also show that thousands die from suicide every year, and the construction industry has one of the highest suicide rates of any industry, behind only coal mining and working on an oil rig.
Construction industry veteran Dave Garske knows the terrible risk all too well.
“You can’t run away from it. You can try to hide it. You can try to tuck it away in a convenient little corner. But, it’s always there,” Garske said.
Garske and his brother, Greg, worked together in the industry for decades.
“He was larger than life. He was a funny guy. He was the life of the party. He was very good at his job,” he said.
Despite his happy exterior, Greg secretly struggled with mental health issues, isolated in an industry known for its exhausting work and tough-guy culture, where climbing a high rise is much easier than sharing your feelings.
Sadly, in 2022, Greg’s hidden struggle became too much.
“The pain never goes away. We lost Greg three years ago to suicide, and you live it every day,” Garske said. “And you ask yourself, ‘Is there something we could have done?’ I know I have a co-worker who asks if there’s something they could have done or if there’s something they missed, and I’m not sure there is.”
The loss devastated the family, leaving too many unanswered questions.
Click here to read more about the story of Dave and Greg Garske.
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