Hazard Alert: Opioid Deaths in Construction [2024]

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Description:
  Why are construction workers at risk? Construction has one of the highest injury rates of any industry, and opioids are often prescribed to workers even with minor injuries. A worker can become dependent on opioids even with an initial, short-term prescription, and the chances of that happening rise sharply with longer-term use. A worker's risk of death increases when opioids are prescribed. Work-related factors-including uncertain employment, demanding jobs, discrimination, and work-family conflict-can lead to psychological distress that increases the likelihood of opioid use. Injured construction workers often... Try to continue working through pain and impairment; Suffer a loss in income. Even if an injured worker receives workers' compensation, it rarely makes up for lost pay; Experience anxiety, stress, and depression, which can add to existing pain; Return to work before fully healed. PROTECT YOURSELF! 1) Prevent injuries. 2) Talk to your doctor. 3) Get help. Remember addiction is an illness that can be treated.
• Subjects:
  Analgesics, Opioid Construction Industry Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Construction workers; Safety education; Opioids; Substance use; Safety practices; Injuries; Injury prevention; Fatalities
• Source:
  Silver Spring, MD: CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 2026 Mar; :1
• Subseries:
  Hazard Alert
• Publisher:
  CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Fact Sheet
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1 pdf page
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071535
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20090901
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7744a3fc79558bcc48984633b89438a878fb208cb4c1da5e49f6cf9df462de2a8839235c75da647ee7398ef7d973af96b7eba79e591cec552e5f9b31114eeefe
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259129/cdc_259129_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 295.01 KB ]