A person’s profession and workplace can significantly impact their lives, even after they leave work. In a variety of industries, workers face stressors that may make them more likely to fall into opioid use. From physical labor like construction work to professions with high psychosocial stress like stock trading, workers are at risk.
Employers, workers, and clinicians all need to understand the risk factors for workers when it comes to opioid use disorder (OUD). Recognizing and minimizing these risks is the key to supporting workers.
Links between workplace injuries and opioid use
There’s a misconception that those dealing with substance use disorders are generally unemployed. In reality, around 70% of U.S. adults with substance use disorders are also employed. It’s not uncommon for people to use drugs in the workplace despite rules against such practices. Since 2011, workplace overdose deaths have increased by over 600%. More than 500 people fatally overdosed in the workplace in 2022, and opioids were involved in the majority of those cases.
In 2022, there were over 2.8 million reported non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses in the United States, or around 7,671 injuries every day. While some workplace injuries are minor and heal quickly, others can cause ongoing pain or other negative symptoms. About 40% of workers in the U.S. report experiencing chronic pain, and 15% say they have pain most days or every day. Because opioids are perceived as effective painkillers — although they are not — people dealing with workplace injuries may turn to opioids, either prescription or illicit, to manage their pain. Those individuals are then at greater risk of developing OUD and experiencing opioid overdoses.
Several workplace factors may make employees more likely to turn to opioids. For example, people who work in unsafe conditions are at greater risk of sustaining injuries and using opioids to deal with the resulting pain. Those who work in generally safe environments may develop pain from completing repetitive physical tasks as part of their jobs, like lifting heavy packages, and start using opioids. In addition to these physical stressors, psychological stressors at work may also motivate employees to turn to opioids for relief. Professionals like doctors, lawyers, and pilots who face demanding schedules and high-stress environments are also at risk.
Opioid use across industries
People working in occupations with high physical work demands and low access to paid sick leave experience the highest opioid overdose rates. Some of the occupations with disproportionately high drug overdose deaths include:
- Construction
- Food preparation and serving
- Healthcare practitioners, technicians, and support
- Mining and petroleum drilling
- Personal care and service
Consistently, strenuous occupations with high rates of injury and illness also have higher rates of opioid use and overdoses compared to other occupations.
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is well known as a grueling, dangerous profession. Fishermen must deal with exhaustion and the risk of pain and injury as they complete their work. Using amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin to deal with these stressors was common a generation ago. Today, though illicit drugs are less present on fishing vessels, commercial fishermen are still at significant risk of substance use disorders and overdoses.
Fentanyl, in particular, is a danger to fishermen because it is a highly potent opioid that can cause a fatal overdose within minutes. On land, emergency medical services can generally reach patients very quickly. However, once offshore, commercial fishing vessels are often hours away from the nearest land, restricting access to emergency services in the event of an overdose. Similarly, the Coast Guard might take hours to arrive at a vessel if it’s in a remote location or blocked by a storm. The crew of these fishing boats are largely on their own to manage opioid overdoses when they occur.
Several programs are now in place to help address the threat of opioid overdoses at sea. Fishing Partnership offers training to fishermen that teaches them how to identify and respond to opioid emergencies. Part of the training is learning how to administer naloxone (brand-name Narcan), a life-saving medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Making naloxone more accessible and ensuring fishing crews know how to administer the medication can save lives if someone experiences an opioid overdose in the workplace.
Construction
Construction work is another profession in which injuries are common and workers face a higher risk of opioid addiction and overdose. Construction workers have higher rates of injury than any other profession, facing injuries from falling, electrocution, being struck by falling objects, and getting caught in between objects. Around one-third have at least one musculoskeletal disorder. They’re also more likely than people in other professions to receive an opioid prescription to manage their pain. Those who are prescribed opioids for their musculoskeletal pain are more likely to become long-term opioid users and develop opioid use disorder.
In one study of Massachusetts death certificates, construction workers made up around 23% of all opioid overdose deaths. Construction workers are around eight times more likely than the general population to experience a fatal overdose. Since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made Narcan available over the counter in 2023, the medication has become more prevalent at construction sites. Increasing access to Narcan is an effective harm-reduction strategy because it increases the odds that someone experiencing an opioid overdose will receive the life-saving medication in time.
Impact of stressful work environments
Outside of workplace injuries, high-stress work environments can also lead employees to seek relief through opioid use. Stressors like long hours, high pressure, and unmanageable workloads take a toll on workers. They may see opioids as a way to deal with that stress. Lawyers experiencing burnout, for example, are significantly more likely to abuse drugs than those with lower burnout scores. High psychological job demands and high job strain are both significantly associated with OUD.
How workplaces can help protect employees
Employers have a crucial role to play in addressing substance abuse in the workplace and protecting their employees from opioid abuse.
Improve workplace safety
In industries with a high risk of workplace injury, employers should do everything they can to reduce the hazards contributing to these injuries and keep workers safe. By reducing the hazards and the number of workplace injuries, fewer employees may turn to opioids for pain management. Often, standards that would keep workers safer are already established, but workplaces are not adhering to them, leading to injuries. For example, two of the most frequently violated Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards are fall protection and ladder standards in the construction industry. Adhering to safety standards like these could reduce construction injuries and the prevalence of opioid use in the industry.
Implement workplace education about OUD risks
Employers have an opportunity to educate their employees about the risks of opioids. They can offer education about the connection between workplace injuries, pain, and opioid use. Employers can provide resources outlining how the use of opioids alter the perception of pain and can actually exacerbate a person’s perception of pain. When people have a deeper understanding of the risks associated with opioid use, they may be less likely to turn to the drug.
Offering workplace training about overdose prevention and Narcan administration can also help save lives from opioid overdoses. Even if no one in the workplace ever needs it, keeping naloxone available is a harm reduction technique that sends a message about being prepared and willing to help those dealing with OUD. Employers should strive to create a workplace culture of transparency without judgment around opioid use. That way, employees who are at risk can feel more comfortable seeking help as soon as they have a problem like a workplace injury.
Ophelia provides access to comprehensive OUD treatment
Positive changes in the workplace are crucial to combating the opioid crisis. Workers need greater protection from workplace injuries and information about the risks of opioid use. Those already affected by OUD also need access to personalized, evidence-based OUD care.
Through online treatment options, Ophelia is expanding access to the OUD treatment so many workers need. They can access medication and support from a dedicated care team without compromising privacy or convenience. Explore treatment today.
Sources
