According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) there were nearly 70,000 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2020 – a 36% increase over the previous year.1 And workers in the construction industry had the highest drug overdose death rates.2
The construction industry has one of the highest injury rates in the U.S., and opioids have commonly been prescribed to construction workers to treat the pain caused by these occupational injuries. Since use of opioids has led to addiction and overdose deaths, it is important for workers to understand the risks and alternatives.
The following resources contain information about opioid deaths, prevention, and pain management alternatives. Included is an updated training program, intended to be used by experienced instructors, that is designed to increase awareness of the dangers of opioids and decrease stigma associated with undertaking recovery—knowledge that is all the more important now given the overall rise in opioid use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Training Materials for Building Resilience
Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s new resilience training tool includes nine activities that guide discussions with construction workers about substance use, suicide, and mental and physical wellbeing. These field-tested training activities are designed for groups of 8-10 apprentices or journey-level workers and can be completed in 30 minutes to an hour. The workbook includes detailed facilitation instructions and an introductory slide set.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ:
- Opioid Awareness Training Program
- Â鶹ÊÓƵ Workshop on Combating Suicide and Overdose Fatalities Among Construction Workers — This white paper summarizes a workshop on the high rates of suicide and overdose deaths among construction workers. Attendees discussed current initiatives and began developing a roadmap, creating 4 workgroups that have continued to meet.
- Reframing Primary Prevention and Opioid Use Reduction in the Construction Industry — A brief developed by the FrameWorks Institute that distills key concepts and ideas about how to communicate the value of primary prevention for reducing opioid use among construction workers.
- Opioid Deaths in Construction Hazard Alert, also available in Spanish.
- Opioid Deaths in Construction Toolbox Talk, also available in Spanish.
- Physicians’ Alert – Pain Management for Construction Workers
- Protect Yourself from an Opioid Overdose Infographic also available in Spanish
- Peer Advocacy for Construction Workers Struggling with Substance Use and Mental Health
- — video with Â鶹ÊÓƵ Opioid Projects Coordinator Chris Rodman
- Musculoskeletal Disorders and Prescription Opioid Use among U.S. Construction Workers — Key Finding for a paper in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
- Prescription opioid use and associated factors among US construction workers — Key Finding for a paper in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine
- Overdose Fatalities at Worksites and Opioid Use in the Construction Industry — 2019 Quarterly Data Report
- Webinar: Opioid Use & Worksite Overdose Fatalities in the Construction Industry: A Look at the Data & Â鶹ÊÓƵ Resources & Efforts
Thursday, February 27th, 2020Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýDownload Presentation - Webinar: Strategies to Build Support for Primary Prevention and Opioid Use Reduction in the Construction Industry
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
NIOSH:
- topic page
- Down the Road Opioid Prevention infographic – PDF; JPEG
- Times are Tough infographicÌý(PDF); Spanish: Estos son tiempos difÃciles
- Science Blog:
- Videos series: Opioids in the Construction Industry.
- factsheet
- topic page
- article
- topic page
- blog
- blog
- blog
- blog
- factsheet
NABTU Opioid Task Force:
- NABTU Opioid Awareness Training Program (before downloading, be aware that this is a 100 MB PowerPoint file)
- Opioid Awareness Training Program Facilitator Guide
- NABTU Opioid Awareness Training Program Participant Handout
- listen to Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Executive Director presenting in a recent webinar on the opioid crisis and construction
- listen to Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Executive Director talk about the opioid crisis and construction in this recent podcast
Department of Labor
Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest:
CDC:
- topic page
- topic page
- topic page
- clinical tools for health care providers
- handout
- poster
- An awareness campaign with videos, radio spots, social media, signs & billboards, online ads
- Drug Overdose Mortality by Usual Occupation and Industry: 46 U.S. States and New York City, 2020
- A Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report
National Safety Council:
- – resources for employers
- provides information on the cost to a business of substance use in their workplace
- – free supplies to safely and securely dispose of prescription drugs and labels to prompt a conversation with your medical provider
- promotes awareness and features stories from people who lost someone to the opioids epidemic
- provides information on the epidemic
- provides information on what you can do to fight the epidemic
- provides information for health care providers
NIH:
- drug facts
- – listen to Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Executive Director speak on opioids and worker health in this podcast
SAMHSA:
- – free national confidential hotline and other resources
- – links to publications, best practices, national strategies and initiatives, training and education, and webinars
Facing Addiction:
- database of addiction resources from community events to treatment
Washington State L&I:
- – resources for health care providers
DOT:
- topic page
- information from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for drivers and employers
1. CDC/National Center for Health Statistics. 2021.
2Drug Overdose Mortality by Usual Occupation and Industry: 46 U.S. States and New York City, 2020