Naloxone kits soon to be mandatory on construction sites
The Ontario government has announced two measures designed to further enhance construction site safety.
If passed, the province’s Working for Workers Act, will require workplaces that are at risk of a worker opioid overdose—construction sites among them—to have naloxone kits.
The legislation would also introduce the highest fines in Canada for companies that fail to follow workplace health and safety laws.
“Everyone in our province knows someone who has been impacted by the opioid epidemic,” said Labour, Training and Skills Development Minister Monte McNaughton. “These are brothers, sisters, mothers and daughters, and we need to do everything in our power to save lives. That is why our government is bringing life-saving naloxone kits to high-risk settings such as construction sites, bars and nightclubs.”
Approximately 2,500 people died from opioid-related causes between March 2020 and January 2021. Of the victims who were employed, 30 percent were construction workers, by far the most of any industry impacted. The topic was the subject of discussion during a recent Link2Build webinar.
Bars and nightclubs are also seeing increased opioid usage, which often involve recreational drugs laced with deadly opioids such as fentanyl and carfentanil.
“While Ontario’s workers have been there to support us before and during this horrible pandemic, it’s just as important that we are there to support them,” said Michael Tibollo, the province’s Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “By ensuring access to life-saving naloxone kits where and when our workers need them, our government is helping to protect more Ontarians struggling with addiction from preventable deaths and taking decisive action to address the challenges of the opioid crisis.”
Naloxone is a medication that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and allow time for medical help to arrive. Requiring businesses in high-risk settings to have naloxone kits on hand will help reduce the stigma around opioid abuse, raise awareness about the risks of accidental overdoses, and potentially save hundreds of lives a year.
Also included in the legislation are changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act to increase the maximum fines for businesses that fail to protect their workers to the highest in the country.
Officers and directors of businesses that do not provide a safe work environment that leads to a worker being severely injured or dying on the job could face fines of up to $1.5 million for violations. Charges for other individuals would also rise to up to $500,000.
The changes come on the heels of other legislation passed by the province to remove unfair and discriminatory barriers against foreign-trained professionals, the right to disconnect, and the banning of non-compete clauses.