A group representing construction workers in Ontario is warning of a concerning trend of opioid-related deaths affecting the industry. A new report shows that 2,500 Ontarians died of drug overdoses in 2020, up from 1,500 in 2019. That is an increase of 60 per cent and the construction industry workforce is being impacted more than any other sector of the economy.
An article in the Northern Ontario CTV News stated that the Ontario Construction Consortium showed new data from the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network confirming its suspicion that construction workers are among a significant portion of opioid-related deaths.
"Of the people who died of overdose in 2020, that were employed at the time they died, almost one third were construction workers. 30 per cent. It's definitely more prevalent in this industry than any other. The nature of the industry can lead its workers down the path of addiction. With workplace injuries not uncommon, simple prescription painkillers can often have profound effects down the line. Where the trouble really starts is when the doctor cuts off the prescriptions. The addicted worker can't get the pain killers anymore and that's when they go to the street. A user should either be going to a supervised consumption facility or at least be with someone who can administer Naloxone. That's what we're advocating at this point, because we are losing lives."
Ontario Construction Consortium Executive Director | Phil Gillies
Gillies said the organization's partners have reached out to members and mayors across the province, including cities in northern Ontario.
According to Ontario Construction News, the Ontario Construction Consortium reviewed the situation early in 2021, after U.S. data from the Centres for Disease Control confirmed construction workers were the most at-risk workforce group in that country. Statistics show a similar reality across Canada.
Gillies stated that the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN), reported that at least 57 construction workers died of overdoses in Ontario last year and the situation continues to unfold. A 28 year old man that he knew died over the May long week.
The Ontario Construction Consortium's campaign enforces the following safety tips:
- Do not use hard drugs alone. Use in the company of another individual with a Naloxone kit close at hand or go to a supervised injection site. OCC urges all construction workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 because of the social distancing.
- Unions and contractors must step up training and education regarding drug use and its possible consequences.
- Governments need to increase addiction treatment and counselling services to meet this unprecedented challenge.
- Workers wrestling with addiction should seek help.
For Construction Pros stated that overdose deaths involving cocaine also increased by 26.5%. These deaths are likely linked to co-use or contamination of cocaine with illicitly manufactured fentanyl or heroin. Overdose deaths involving psychostimulants, such as methamphetamine, increased by 34.8%. More people now die in psychostimulant overdoses than in cocaine overdoses.
Incidence of abuse of these drugs in construction has proven excessive with construction ranking highest among industries for cocaine positivity - more than 33% higher than the general U.S. workforce.
Construction workers need to understand addiction and not be afraid to talk about it. Construction companies should also provide opioid safety training and be more open to promoting alternative pain management therapies when their workers are injured.
The ODPRN is a province-wide network of researchers who provide timely, high quality, drug policy relevant research to decision makers. The ODPRN houses the Ontario Opioid Drug Observatory which is funded through a grant from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. This observatory aims to measure, assess and evaluate the use of prescription opioids, opioid-related overdoses, and opioid-related drug policy by leveraging large population-level data sources.
