In response to fatal overdoses in New York City’s construction industry, the city’s Department of Buildings and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene are partnering to conduct outreach at worksites, according to Safety+Health magazine. They also are distributing an alert regarding the dangers of substance misuse and providing tools to help prevent fatal overdoses.
The outreach will include discussions about the dangers of fentanyl; how to use naloxone to prevent a fatal overdose; worksite safety; and keeping workers safe on and off the job.
New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene data show at least 269 construction worker deaths were caused by overdoses in 2020—by far the most of any occupation, according to a press release from the Department of Buildings. That aligns with national data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The city’s Department of Buildings is asking contractors and job-site safety professionals to include drug and alcohol safety in toolbox talks and is requiring all construction workers on larger and more complex worksites to take 40 hours of Site Safety Training courses, including two hours of drug and alcohol awareness.
