‘Crisis point’: OSHA alliance targets substance use disorders in New Hampshire

Concord, NH — OSHA’s Concord Area Office on Dec. 17 entered an alliance agreement with the New Hampshire Office of the Governor, the state’s Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative and the WorkWISE NH consultation program to help combat substance use disorders.

As part of the OSHA Alliance Program, the two-year pact will “provide health care professionals, businesses, trade organizations and others with information, guidance and access to training resources to help protect workers, particularly by raising awareness of physical well-being and promoting individual wellness for Granite Staters by empowering workplaces to provide support for people recovering from substance use disorders in the community and workplace.”

The alliance partners also plan to use relevant data to look for ways to boost awareness, outreach and communication.

“We are at a crisis point,” Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said in an Associated Press report published Dec. 18. “We are at this tipping point, and everybody has to be a part of this process.”

Sununu helped launch the Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative in March 2018 to “support the recovery community by recognizing recovery from substance use disorder is a strength and by being willing to hire and work intentionally with people in recovery,” a press release from his office states. “Recovery Friendly Workplaces encourage an environment where employers, employees and communities can collaborate to create positive change and eliminate barriers for those impacted by addiction.”

WorkWise NH – formerly known as the NH Occupational Safety and Health Program – provides free, onsite consultation services to eligible employers. The Alliance Program was created in 2002 to develop voluntary, collaborative working relationships with organizations that are committed to workplace safety and health.