BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Construction is an industry vital to Vermont, but data shows workers are at a disproportionately high risk for overdosing. According to statistics from the Bureau of Labor, only 5% of Vermonters were working in the construction industry in 2021, but these workers accounted for 23% of Vermonters who died of an overdose. To combat the issue, contractors are turning to support, conversation and harm reduction.

Father-son duo Greg and Gregory Tatro run GW Tatro Construction. Greg says anecdotally, he’s seen alcohol and drug use but says fentanyl changed the game.

“It’s the world changing, no question. This drug kills you,” Greg Tatro said.

He says it’s a slippery slope when combined with the trials of working a construction job.

“Our tradesfolks, they’re good people, so they deserve the help and the chance to get better, too,” he said.

The Tatro family founded Jenna’s Promise to help Vermonters recover from substance use disorder. They founded the organization after Greg’s daughter, Jenna, overdosed.

He says a collaboration could be on the horizon.

“We have to train contractors to understand what these folks are going through, and then train contractors to understand what we can do to help this person have a long-lasting recovery,” Tatro said.

In an effort to save lives, the Association of General Contractors is partnering with the Department of Health and drug and alcohol consultant Reid Wobby to distribute Narcan doses and harm-reduction packs.

“We’re disproportionately affected, but you can’t live for a day without hearing a story of somebody dying from an overdose, whether young or old, a child, a friend, a parent. So, just preparing, empowering everybody with the knowledge and the Narcan, to respond to an overdose is really what my goal is,” he said.

Wobby says 12,500 doses of Narcan and thousands of harm reduction packs have been distributed to their members.

“We’ve done 20 or so trainings on how to administer and recognize an overdose, so I think that the acceptance probably has grown from that 50% to like 85% within our community, which is amazing,” he said.

Wobby says another reason why the construction industry is impacted by substance use disorder and overdose could be from access to opioids from workplace-related injuries.

“It’s OK to not be OK. And if you’re not OK, it’s OK to ask for help if you need it,” said Wobby.

Substance use and mental health struggles often go hand in hand. Data shows in 2019-2020, 26% of deaths by suicide in Vermont were of people related to the construction industry.

For the Tatros, their work fighting the opioid crisis is far from over. The duo says the construction industry having this conversation out in the open is a huge step.

“If we want the construction industry to survive and to thrive in Vermont, we have to start finding ways to meet people where they’re at,” said Tatro.