Never Alone: Suicide Prevention

The statistics are sobering. The latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Annual Report on Occupational Injuries revealed a 7% increase in construction fatalities and a 13% increase in suicides from 2021 to 2022.

The National Glass Association hosted a Thirsty Thursday webinar on Aug. 15, “Reflections of Hope: Suicide Prevention in the Construction Industry,” where Cal Beyer, CWP, SAFE Project, and Kevin Hines, filmmaker, author and mental health activist, shared how everyone has a role to play in suicide prevention.

“When you see a lot of mental illness being expressed it’s a sign the culture is sick; not the person,” says Hines, who survived a suicide attempt from the Golden Gate Bridge in 2000. Hines recalls feeling the most amount of despair and desperation he’d ever experienced before he leapt. “I thought I had no value and was worthless. I believed everyone who ever loved me wanted me gone from this world. None of that was true. But all I could see, hear, touch and know was pain.”

“There is no such thing as a successful suicide attempt.” -Hines

Hines refers to that as “brain pain,” which he asserts is worse than any physical pain as people tend to invalidate what they can’t see. “Lethal emotional pain leaves some people believing they need to die, even if they don’t want to,” he says.

How do you talk about brain pain?

The brain is like any other organ in the body, he says. It can become diseased. And like other organs, it deserves to be treated with compassion and care. “Your pain has value because you have value,” Hines says. “You matter simply because you exist. You’re meant to be here until your natural end.”

For anyone struggling, Hines tells people to find someone—anyone—and say these four words: “I need help now.” Don’t stop saying them until someone answers the call. Teach people to look in the mirror at the first inclination of a suicidal ideation and say, “My thoughts do not have to become my actions. They can simply be my thoughts.”

Hines also encourages anyone who wants to die to write a letter to a loved one. Vocalizing the ideations are difficult; it’s often easier to write it down in sequence. He recommends telling the letter recipient to read it without judgment and then calmly talk about it. Then, the recipient should write a compassionate letter back and respond with hope, healing and help. Finally, take action to physically make sure suicide isn’t an option.

The power of storytelling

Stories are 22 times more memorable than statistics, facts and PowerPoint presentations, says Hines. “Our neuropathways sync up with the storyteller,” he says. “The neurons in our brains connect with the storyteller’s journey in true, deep empathy. The art and science of storytelling is real. People see there is pain, struggle and strife involved, and they get the humor, hope and heartfelt messages.”

Being honest about our pain and sharing it with others can be the catalyst toward saving a life, says Hines. More than 1,000 people have reported to Hines that his film, “The Ripple Effect,” which chronicles Hines' personal journey and the ripple effect it's had on those impacted by his suicide attempt, saved their lives. “I’m not a life saver,” he says. “I’m a conduit. We all are. There are millions of people in the greatest despair of their lives right now.”’

It’s okay to not be okay. Let people know we see, hear, feel them and are there for them. They are not alone. -Beyers

Hines continues his storytelling with an in-progress documentary called “The Net,” which aims to raise the existing net around the Golden Gate Bridge. Both speakers said the ease of lethal access makes the bridge specifically a target for those looking to take their lives. Suicide attempts have reduced by 83% since the net was placed.

Safety through design

Beyers, who has worked with suicide prevention in the workplace since the early 1990s, says “everyone has a role to play in suicide prevention. It’s all a ripple effect,” he says.

Even before the data verified construction was a high-risk industry for suicide, Beyer sensed it and talked about building caring cultures and having leadership open and to help individuals.

Beyers says the construction industry can have a “tremendous impact” by moving toward safety through design, which involves building safety features and suicide deterrents into projects, especially those with size, scope and easy access.

Watch the webinar on demand