‘Just so vital’: Occupational Keynote furthers NSC’s focus on naloxone

New Orleans — Administering naloxone is “really simple,” National Safety Council President and CEO Lorraine M. Martin said of the medication that rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.

As of Tuesday, the skill was also one attendees of the Occupational Keynote at the 2023 NSC Safety Congress & Expo newly possessed. The presentation concluded with an interactive awareness lesson aimed at assisting safety professionals amid a surge in workplace opioid overdoses.

“Having naloxone in your sights and training your employees on how to use it is just so vital,” Martin told the attendees.

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a pair of naloxone nasal sprays for over-the-counter use – Narcan and RiVive.

According to data from NSC’s Injury Facts website, overdose deaths accounted for 9% of all workplace injury deaths in 2021. Since then, overdose-related deaths at work have climbed 536%.

Carrie Bush, a first aid expert and program manager at NSC, guided the attendees through a video showing the steps of administering naloxone to keep overdose victims alive before medical professionals arrive.

Guidance includes:

• Place the nozzle in one nostril and press the plunger firmly.
• Check to see if the victim is breathing.
• If yes, roll the victim into the recovery position; if no, begin CPR.
• Administer another dose of naloxone after two to three minutes if the victim is unresponsive to the first dose.

The presentation also featured remarks from Cody Nagle, a student recovery advocate and former advisor at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. She shared her story of an addiction that consumed much of her teen years and early adulthood.

“By the time I was 26, I was desperate,” Nagle said. “My body was shutting down, and so was my mind and spirit. I was hopeless, and I did not see a way out.”

Nagle credited the unconditional support she received during her darkest times for sparking her rehab and recovery. She encouraged attendees and employers to “rethink our reaction and response” to the overdose epidemic. It starts by growing an understanding of individuals experiencing addiction.

“The stigma we see surrounding drug use is killing people,” Nagle said. “It could be killing the people that you love.”

Former law enforcement official Jim McDonnell, principal at McDonnell Strategies Group Inc., later stressed the urgency of building awareness of workplace overdoses.

“We can plan on the overdose epidemic continuing for some time,” McDonnell said. “We have to get smart, educated and trained on how to timely respond. We can all play a role.”

NSC’s Respond Ready Workplace program features information on the opioid crisis and the effectiveness of naloxone, and offers guidance on how employers and workers can properly administer the medication.