Cal/OSHA Grants NSC Petition Proposing Efforts to Combat the Opioid Crisis

Cal/OSHA Grants NSC Petition Proposing Efforts to Combat the Opioid Crisis

California workplaces will soon be required to stock opioid overdose reversal medication and provide training.

  • By Robert Yaniz Jr.
  • Jul 01, 2024

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has granted a petition from the National Safety Council (NSC) proposing that workplaces throughout the state are required to stock opioid overdose reversal medication and provide training on the job site.

According to a recent release, overdoses account for nearly 1 in 10 worker deaths nationally and have increased by more than 600 percent since 2011. The NSC advocated for the availability and access of opioid overdose reversal medication naloxone in all U.S. workplaces. Unintentional overdoses caused over 18 percent of California workplace fatalities in 2021. 

“Providing lifesaving training to workers creates not only safer workplaces but also safer communities, as these individuals carry their training with them wherever they go and because overdoses can happen anywhere, at any time, to anyone,” the NSC said in a statement. “With the granting of this petition, there is no doubt workplaces, communities and homes across California will become safer.”

By incorporating this requirement into Cal/OSHA’s Code of Regulations, the state aims to ensure workplaces are equipped to respond to overdose emergencies promptly. The NSC remains committed to eliminating preventable deaths and injuries in the workplace and beyond.

About the Author

Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.

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