NIOSH factsheet addresses opioid overdoses in the workplace
Posted October 16, 2018
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has issued a factsheet for workplaces that are considering implementing a naloxone program in an effort to confront the opioid crisis. Naloxone is a drug that can reverse many of the life-threatening effects of overdoses from opioids. The factsheet provides a series of steps for employers to consider when deciding if their workplace should establish a naloxone program, making the overdose reversal medication available in the event of an overdose.
According to 2017 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics, an average of 115 Americans dies every day from an opioid overdose. Workplaces are increasingly becoming sites where overdoses are occurring, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics finding that between 2013 and 2016, overdose deaths at work from non-medical use of drugs and alcohol increased by at least 38 percent annually.
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