Earlier this summer, the CSPP submitted a grant application to expand our opioid outreach program to the SafeBuild Alliance. We are excited to announce that they awarded our proposal with a $9,650 grant!
According to the CDC, the construction industry has one of the highest death rates from opioid overdose and the second-highest rate of suicide of any industry. With a high rate of lower back pain and other muscular-skeletal injuries, construction professionals are more likely to be prescribed opioids than workers in other industries. Annually, 15% of workers prescribed opioids became long‐term users. Those prescribed opioids for muscular-skeletal pain are at higher risk for addiction. In 2022, the Construction Finance Management Association (CFMA) reported that construction professionals receive 20% more and 20% stronger opioid prescriptions.
These funds will support our effort to provide the construction industry with an interactive training program to provide an overview of the current crisis, prevent misuse, promote non-narcotic pain-relieving alternatives, drug disposal options, overdose response, and share treatment and recovery resources.
We will also develop a series of toolbox talks for safety professionals or construction supervisors to use at their sites daily morning stretch-flex. In collaboration with Line For Life’s Prevention department, we will build on our podcast series and feature discussions centered on opioids and construction. The toolbox talks and podcasts will be posted on our website and shared with our partners, who can disseminate them on their internal communication channels.
Thank you to SafeBuild Alliance for supporting our project. Now, we are getting to work!
