Items Tagged with 'Opioids'

The National Safety Council reported in January that, for the first time on record, the odds of dying from an unintentional opioid overdose in a given lifetime (1 in 96) are greater than the lifetime odds of dying in a motor vehicle-related crash (1 in 103).

Cambridge, MA — Injured workers who are older, employed by organizations with smaller payrolls and in counties where more people have health insurance are more likely to receive opioid prescriptions, according to a recent study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute.

Hartford, CT — Two-thirds of employers in the United States are or will be affected by the opioid epidemic, according to the results of a recent survey.

Washington — The Department of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs has unveiled a four-point Opioid Action Plan intended to help combat opioid misuse among injured federal employees.

Atlanta — Construction workers have the highest proportional mortality ratio for heroin- and methadone-related overdose deaths, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis of 26 occupations shows.

Washington — The Office of National Drug Control Policy, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has published a guide intended to help rural communities address opioid misuse and other substance abuse by providing a centralized list of federal programs and resources.

Washington — The Senate on Oct. 3 passed an extensive package of bipartisan opioid legislation with provisions that include boosting efforts to improve the coordination of emergency department overdose care and advancing hair testing as an accepted drug-testing method for transportation industry employees.

Washington — NIOSH has published a new fact sheet for employers considering a naloxone program to help prevent opioid overdoses.

Washington — The Bureau of Justice Assistance, part of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, has released a video intended to protect first responders who face potential exposure to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid considered up to 50 times more potent than heroin.