A fact that has already been established for several years is that construction workers represent the labor group throughout the country and in New York where the largest number of overdose deaths due to substance abuse are concentrated. Now, with the opioid epidemic climbing ever higher and the presence of fentanyl expanding, the New York City municipal government is trying to “demolish” this deadly trend as much as possible.
This week an alert was sent to the construction industry and a new strategy was announced to build prevention plans in this sector.
Faced with this rising public health problem, the City’s Health and Buildings departments shared details about the potentially fatal dangers associated with substance abuse within an industry that continues to add new jobs in the ‘city of skyscrapers’. ‘.
Therefore, staff from both municipal agencies will visit construction sites to discuss the dangers of fentanyl, how to use naloxone to prevent a fatal overdose and safety in those work spaces.
Much more information will be shared directly with workers about how they can stay safe, both on and off the construction site, in honor of National Substance Abuse Prevention Month.
“We know that a construction site injury is sometimes just the first chapter of a tragedy, with this partnership with the Department of Health, we are committed to promoting safety in these spaces,” explained Jimmy Oddo, commissioner of the Department of Buildings. of New York City (DOB).
Training changes
The DOB currently requires that the workforce in this sector, on larger projects, take at least 40 hours of on-site safety training (SST) courses, including two hours teaching about the harms associated with the chemical dependency and substance abuse problems.
This required course not only covers the dangers of being drunk while on a construction site, but also information on general narcotic use disorders.
To date, a total of 335,244 people working in the construction industry have taken the drug and alcohol awareness class, as part of their mandatory OSH safety training requirement.
City agencies will now conduct more outreach to contractors and construction safety professionals, asking them to include much more information about drugs and alcohol during their “toolbox talks.”
These mandatory pre-shift meetings are held at job sites throughout the city each day, providing each member of the construction team with a summary of the day’s work and potential safety concerns related to that work.
The DOB will request that upcoming “toolbox talks” include information on overdose prevention, highlighting how many members of the construction industry are lost due to this reason each year.
Hard data
According to the latest records available from the Department of Health, in 2020 at least 269 construction workers died from overdoses, the most of any occupation included in that analysis.
Likewise, some federal government statistics prove that throughout the country, the most common occupation for fatalities linked to the use of narcotics was in the “Construction and Extraction” classification. This is a category defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that includes equipment operators, carpenters, electricians, earth drillers, mining machine operators, and general installers.
This federal agency reviewed data on fatal overdoses and obtained the available information among people who were between 18 and 64 years old. This was consistent across racial and ethnic groups.
Other, outdated analyzes of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health have put into perspective that the construction industry has the second highest rate of painkiller and opioid misuse, after entertainment, recreation and feeding.
“Messages about prevention and support should be available in our homes, communities and workplaces. The data continues to show that this workforce is at increased fatal risk of dying from overdose,” said Dr. Ashwin Vasan, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).
An injury, a prescription, an addiction…
As has been described for years, one of the routes to this type of addiction originates in recurring physical injuries in this hard work task. Many workers begin by requesting a prescription for an opioid medication to help them return to work. And in some cases, it all ends in the consumption of illegal narcotics, such as heroin.
The risk is greater for non-unionized workers, such as day laborers, who do not have access to health insurance, and in many cases, to any type of safety talks.
In the midst of this panorama, some activists from labor organizations confirm to El Diario that it has been observed that in the growing black market, many illegal fentanyl pills are precisely offered as powerful painkillers, but also as powerful stimulants to perform better.
“I knew of a very young recently arrived immigrant who ended up with a terrible shoulder injury from his demolition work. In the same work environment he was in, they recommended some of those illegal pills. Unfortunately, he ended up dead,” said the source.
The numbers of this “deadly poison” on the streets are validated by some seizures: The Drug Enforcement Administration, the New York Division and the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor seized record quantities of counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl and powdered fentanyl during 2022.
The DEA’s New York Division, which covers the state of New York, has seized 1.9 million counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl (an increase of 152% from 2021) and 1,958 pounds of fentanyl, which is the equivalent of 72 million lethal doses.
There are resources for everyone
Beyond specific efforts for this workforce, DOHMH offers free programs for New Yorkers to learn to recognize the signs of an overdose and respond with naloxone. Together with allied organizations, kits of this drug and fentanyl test strips have been made available to the public, at no cost, through Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs.
Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose of opioids, including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications.
As the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially described, “naloxone quickly reverses an overdose by blocking the effects of opioids. “It can restore normal breathing in 2 to 3 minutes to a person whose breathing slowed or even stopped as a result of an opioid overdose.”
Additionally, all state-licensed and City-supported syringe service programs offer harm reduction resources, including comprehensive services and help connecting to treatment and other resources.
Rising crisis
Earlier this year, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released data showing an unprecedented increase in fatal overdoses.
Fentanyl, an opioid 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, was found in more than 80% of drug overdose deaths in New York City.
The presence of fentanyl in the unregulated drug supply has substantially increased the risk of overdose. This narcotic is predominantly found with heroin, but has also been found in other substances, including illicitly manufactured pills, such as those pressed to look like pain relievers or benzodiazepines.
“We are facing a deadly and devastating opioid crisis, which is why last month, our administration convened elected leaders, public health officials and law enforcement across the country to develop strategies to reduce and prevent opioid use. drugs. By educating construction workers, we are addressing part of this serious problem,” concluded Mayor Eric Adams.
There are free resources:
- More details and information on how to find a free naloxone kit are available at nyc.gov/naloxone.
- Anyone can call 988 for free, confidential mental health and substance use crisis counseling, support, information and referrals.