Addressing Overdose Deaths in NYC Construction

The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) has taken up an initiative to deal with the alarming rise in overdose deaths among the construction workers. Since construction related fatalities actually accounted for a really big number of overdose deaths in 2020, city agencies are taking some targeted steps for the workers safety. 

An Overview of the Initiative

The DOB is in collaboration with the Health and Building departments and will dispatch some staff to the construction sites. Their mission will include providing the necessary training on drug addiction awareness, understanding fentanyl risks, correct usage of naloxone to prevent overdoses, and also the general work site safety. With this training they see trying to empower construction workers with the much needed information about safety both on and off the job site.

The Focus on the Construction Sector is Data Driven

The decision to concentrate the efforts on the construction industry actually stems from data that told us that construction workers accounted for the highest number of overdose deaths among the different occupational groups. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control also reported a similar trend. This of course tells us how the construction workers are very vulnerable to lethal overdoses.

Safety Training Requirements

In New York City, all of the construction workers are mandated by the DOB to complete a minimum of 40 hours of site safety training courses. These courses are actually offered by DOB approved training providers. They really put emphasis on the larger and more complex work sites. As a part of this training, a two hour drug and alcohol awareness course is compulsory.  Your construction workers should understand the risks of chemical dependency, and this will ensure that they do.

The Reach and Impact of the Training

To date, 335,244 workers in the construction industry have completed the drug and alcohol awareness course as part of their required safety training. The DOB has plans to reach even more people by urging municipal contractors and site safety experts to include drug and alcohol safety information in their morning meetings. They really want everyone in the industry to have the knowledge and understand about alcohol and substance dependence.

Data Insights and Industry Engagement

The recent data from the NYC Health Department shows very evidently how severe the issue is. The fact that construction workers had the highest number of overdose deaths in 2020 is sobering. So in response the DOB is encouraging industry stakeholders to have conversations with their staff and tell them about these fatal overdoses and the available programs and services for prevention.

Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan is of the opinion that industry participants should be addressing the high number of fatal overdoses within the construction sector. The DOB actively encourages open discussions with the staff and subcontractors. There needs to be awareness and concern within the industry according to them. Also the distribution of informational flyers in both English and Spanish about naloxone and fentanyl to spread information is encouraged.