The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is urging employers to prepare their workplaces for potential opioid overdoses, including by keeping medications such as naloxone readily available and training employees to recognize and respond to an overdose.
On Sept. 24, the Department of Labor (DOL) released new OSHA guidance aimed at helping employers and workers respond quickly to opioid-related emergencies. The fact sheet, Opioid Overdose Rescue with Reversal Medications, recommends treating overdose medications much like other workplace emergency equipment, with supplies stored in visible and easily accessible locations.
The guidance does not create new OSHA compliance requirements. Instead, it offers employers a framework for preparing for an emergency that the agency says can occur in any workplace.
“Opioid overdose in the workplace can be a serious health and safety issue,” OSHA says in the fact sheet, adding that managers, supervisors and employees should know how to respond.
Toolkit: Employing and Managing People with Substance Use Addictions
Central to OSHA’s guidance are opioid overdose reversal medications, or OORMs. The two FDA-approved medications are naloxone and nalmefene, which work by blocking opioid effects and allowing normal breathing to resume. Some naloxone nasal sprays are available without a prescription, while other naloxone and nalmefene products require one.
Employers can obtain naloxone through pharmacies,...
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