{"id":898431,"date":"2021-01-26T14:16:22","date_gmt":"2021-01-26T21:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=898431"},"modified":"2021-01-26T14:16:25","modified_gmt":"2021-01-26T21:16:25","slug":"opioids-construction-industry-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/opioids-construction-industry-threat\/","title":{"rendered":"Dealing with the Opioid Threat in the Construction Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bridget Blinn-Spears | Nexsen Pruet<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opioids pose a substantial threat to the construction industry. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), \u201cOpioids have commonly been prescribed to construction workers to treat pain caused by these occupational injuries. Workers in the industry also have higher rates of opioid overdose death compared with other groups.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hard physical work undertaken in construction jobs can lead to injuries for which doctors may prescribe strong prescription drugs. Workers can become addicted to these substances and related street drugs like heroin. Additionally, construction workers are more likely to use drugs than workers in other professions,\u00a0Science Daily reported, based on a study published in the journal\u00a0Drug and Alcohol Dependence<\/em>. According to the study\u2019s lead author, New York University Associate Professor of Epidemiology Danielle Ompad, drug testing cannot distinguish between recreational and medicinal use of opioids (or marijuana<\/a>). Ompad suggested that \u201cprevention and harm reduction programming is needed to prevent drug-related risks and mortality\u201d in construction workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u00a0recent article in the\u00a0Wall Street Journal<\/em>\u00a0highlighted connections between the increase in opioid use, deaths from overdoses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the shortage of manual labor already facing the construction industry. Even before the pandemic, deaths due to drug overdoses were on the rise across the country. South Carolina\u2019s governor declared the state\u2019s opioid crisis a public health emergency in 2017 and established a team that developed a\u00a0response plan. North Carolina also has\u00a0an action plan\u00a0addressing its opioid crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As construction employers work to keep their job sites safe and productive, they should keep in mind some key points regarding employee drug use:<\/p>\n\n\n\n