In the rugged world of construction, workers often face intense physical demands and emotional isolation that can exacerbate mental health struggles. Now, a Colorado mother is channeling her personal tragedy into a powerful campaign to confront the industry’s hidden crisis: the toll of mental illness, substance abuse, and suicide.

Heather Gutierrez lost her 17-year-old son, Ty, in March 2022 to an intentional fentanyl overdose after years of battling mental health issues.

"It got progressively worse. He was in and out of inpatient and outpatient treatment, and there was not a good resource to support him," Gutierrez shared. "You feel helpless, and it shows how much of a need there is, not just in construction, but mental health and recovery support across the board."

Her loss has fueled a mission. As co-chair of the Mental Health Working Group at the Associated General Contractors (AGC), alongside Nick Williams, Gutierrez is helping to reshape the way the construction industry talks about — and addresses — mental wellness.

The working group was formed in 2021 after data revealed a stark truth: construction has the highest rate of suicide and overdose deaths of any private industry. Despite a nationwide decline in overdose deaths by roughly 35%, that drop hasn’t translated to construction workers.

"Unfortunately, we still do have an abnormal number of deaths by opioid overdose in our industry," said Williams, who also serves as CEO of the American Subcontractors Association of Colorado.

Cultural factors in the industry — from isolation on job sites to physically grueling work and the ready availability of prescription painkillers — all contribute to the problem.

"It's things like isolation, hard work, tough work. It's tough on the body, access to the types of drugs that people get when they are hurt at work," said Williams. "We also have the presence of wondering where my next paycheck is going to come from and the seasonality of the work."

The group's approach combines awareness with tangible action. They promote open conversations about mental health and encourage contractors to foster safer, more supportive work environments.

"There was a large stigma, even five years ago," Williams said. "But we've started to see that stigma reduce just by normalizing the conversation."

Gutierrez emphasized the power of lived experience in breaking down barriers.

"Having leaders that have been through suicide, has been through substance use, or even have been, you know, in active addiction themselves, speak out," she said.

In 2024, the group launched a landmark naloxone training — the first of its kind for the construction industry in Colorado. Workers were taught how to administer the opioid overdose reversal drug, heard firsthand accounts from overdose survivors, and learned from recovery counselors. Another training is scheduled for August.

"There's a template for what can be productive," said Williams. "You've seen things like harm reduction, access to Narcan, access to naloxone, ready access to good, high quality mental health care."

The Mental Health Working Group continues to provide educational resources, train jobsite leaders, and advocate for equitable access to support across the industry. Their goal is clear: reduce the staggering rate of suicide and overdose deaths in construction by transforming the workplace culture.

"What we do is inherently dangerous. So, if you are mentally not prepared, not only are you not safe for yourself, but you're also not safe for your wingman next to you," Gutierrez said.

For Gutierrez, the mission is as personal as it is urgent.

"It's not a helpless movement. We just must get the words out there," she said. "I'm not going to let anybody forget my son, and his death will not be in vain."

Originally reported by Ashley Portillo in CBS News.