“If we can create safer workplaces, if we can prevent these injuries from happening, it might not solve the opioid crisis, obviously, but we can really … make an impact,” she said.
Injured workers who died from overdoses were more likely to be male, Latino, and work in construction and mining jobs, as well as in food preparation and service roles, compared to those who died from other causes, the health department found.
Among all working-age people who died in the state during the time period studied, nearly 13 percent died of opioid overdoses, DPH found. Among those who were injured at work, the share of opioid-related deaths was more than 17 percent.
This figure is likely “the tip of the iceberg,” Sparer-Fine said, noting that DPH only looked at claims for injuries that required five or more days off from work and that many injured employees don’t file workers’ comp claims.
The opioid crisis has ravaged Massachusetts, killing 25,000 residents since 2000. The annual rate of overdose deaths more than tripled over the past decade, soaring to a record high 2,647 in 2022. Last year, deaths dropped by more than 10 percent – the first year-over-year decrease in four years, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Opioid use is especially prevalent in the construction industry, which has some of the highest worker fatality and injury rates in the country. An estimated 10 percent of construction workers use prescription opioids annually, concentrated among those with injuries and musculoskeletal disorders, according to a 2022 study by the Center for Construction Research and Training.
The Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, known as MassCOSH, which tracks worker deaths every year, found that 43 workers died from fatal overdoses and suicides last year, a marked increase from the year before. The report found that construction workers died last year at a rate four times higher than in any other industry, though it’s unclear which if any of those were overdose deaths.
MassCOSH is working to change the culture surrounding substance abuse and recovery, said Elissa C. Cadillic, president of the organization’s board, by shifting blame away from workers and encouraging employers to improve workplace safety and support those who seek treatment instead of stigmatizing them.
Workers who don’t get paid if they don’t show up — and are therefore more likely to seek out painkillers that allow them to work while injured and, if they become addicted, less likely to seek substance-abuse treatment that might cause them to take time off — are especially at risk.
“The choice is really between, ‘Do I not get paid, [or] do I go to work? And if I work, then I just need to work through the pain,’ " she said. “And that’s where opioids come in.”
The Department of Public Health has developed training materials to increase awareness of opioid abuse and provide resources for employers, including injury prevention initiatives and tools to help workers seek out and remain in recovery. DPH has also funded research to improve a state program providing support services and alternative pain management to injured workers who have been prescribed opioids.
Construction unions in Massachusetts are also tackling opioid addiction among their members.
Construction is a “tough-guy culture,” said Frank Callahan, president of the Massachusetts Building Trades Unions, and workers tend not to seek help. Recognizing this attitude amid the growing opioid crisis, the umbrella group formed a Recovery Council in 2020 to link all the unions’ substance-use programs. Recovery meetings are held almost every night at different union halls, open to any member of the building trades and their dependents, and “standdowns” are held regularly at job sites to discuss opioid abuse and recovery. Recovering addicts are trained to provide peer-to-peer support, including to every incoming apprentice; stickers with QR codes linking workers to opioid recovery resources are slapped onto hard hats and inside porta-potties.
Because construction work continually shifts to different sites and contractors, there is a fear that a worker seeking treatment will be labeled as an addict and have difficulty getting hired for another job, said Dan McNulty, who oversees the Recovery Council.
The key, he said, is treating opioid addiction not as a “defect of character” but as an injury, much like what leads workers to seek out opioids in the first place.
“If someone thinks they’re going to get blacklisted for coming forward for help,” he said, “they’re never going to do it.”
Katie Johnston can be reached at katie.johnston@globe.com. Follow her @ktkjohnston.
FAQs
There were 2,125 confirmed and estimated opioid-related overdose deaths in 2023, which is 232 fewer than in 2022, when Massachusetts had a record 2,357 fatal opioid-related overdoses. Last year's opioid-related overdose death rate also decreased by 10 percent to 30.2 per 100,000 people compared to 33.5 in 2022.
Who is at greatest risk for opioid overdose in the US? ›
Some individuals with certain healthcare conditions or characteristics are at higher risk of misuse, which may lead to overdose. These include: Younger adults (18-25 years old) Mental Health Disorders (Depression, Anxiety, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder)
Who is most impacted by the opioid crisis? ›
However, older adults and persons with disabilities are among the groups most impacted by the opioid crisis because they often use prescription opioids to cope with acute pain, such as after a surgery, or ongoing pain from chronic conditions.
What is the current state of opioid use? ›
Drug overdose deaths involving prescription opioids rose from 3,442 in 1999 to 17,029 in 2017. From 2017 to 2019, the number of deaths declined to 14,139. This was followed by a slight increase in 2020, with 16,416 reported deaths. In 2022, the number of deaths declined to 14,716.
What states have the highest opioid overdose rate? ›
State Trends
Across the decade, however, West Virginia remained the state with the highest overdose death rates, rising from 31.5 per 100,000 people in 2011 to 77.2 per 100,000 people in 2021. *Changes in opioid overdose death rates were unable to be calculated for North Dakota, as data are unavailable for that state.
What city has the most opioid deaths? ›
Here is a list of the top 10 rates are per 100,000 people:Baltimore City, Maryland: 174.1 drug overdoses per 100,000 peopleDavidson County, Tennessee: 101.5Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania: 88.5Marion County, Indiana: 84.1Washington, D.C.: 77.9Jefferson County, Kentucky: 77.6San Francisco County, California: 72.9 ...
What is the opioid capital of the United States? ›
As Southwestern Ohio County Tops Nation in Per Capita Opioid Overdose Deaths, State Takes Action. Montgomery County, Ohio, was recently given a title that no community wants to receive: the overdose capital of the United States.
What country has the highest opioid overdose rate? ›
US has highest rate of drug overdoses, study says | CNN
The United States has more than double the rate of premature overdose deaths of at least 12 other countries, according to a new study.
What is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States? ›
Prescription drug abuse is the Nation's fastest-growing drug problem and has been classified as an epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What drug started the opioid crisis? ›
It started in the mid-1990s when the powerful agent OxyContin, promoted by Purdue Pharma and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), triggered the first wave of deaths linked to use of legal prescription opioids.
Oxycodone is only available on prescription. It comes as slow-release tablets, standard tablets and capsules, and a liquid that you swallow.
What family is blamed for the opioid crisis? ›
Text: THE ROLE OF PURDUE PHARMA AND THE SACKLER FAMILY IN THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC.
Is Tylenol an opioid? ›
Over-the-counter pain relievers are NOT opioids.
Some common OTC pain relievers include: Acetaminophen (Tylenol, Excedrin, Vanquish) Aspirin (Bayer, Bufferin, Ecotrin, Excedrin, Vanquish) Diclofenac (Voltaren Gel)
Is oxycodone the same as percocet? ›
Percocet contains five milligrams of oxycodone, which is all released when the pill is taken. Percocet also contains acetaminophen (the drug in Tylenol), which can cause liver damage if you take a lot of it. Oxycodone-CR products contain only oxycodone. When taken as prescribed, the drug is released over several hours.
Is ibuprofen an opioid? ›
It is important to know there are over-the-counter, non-opioid medications—acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen—that can be just as effective for managing most dental pain. Talk with your dentist about which medications may be right for you.
How bad is the opioid crisis in Massachusetts? ›
The opioid-related overdose death rate in Massachusetts increased to 33.5 per 100,000 people in 2022, 2.5 percent higher than in 2021 (32.7 per 100,000) and 9.1 percent higher than the pre-pandemic peak in 2016.
What is the addiction rate in Massachusetts? ›
Rates of illicit drug use disorder for Massachusetts residents aged 12 or older were a little higher than national averages as well. Between 2017-2019, 3.4% of Massachusetts residents struggled with drug use in the past year versus a national average of 2.9%.
What is the prevalence of opioid use disorder in Massachusetts? ›
Results: Our estimates for OUD prevalence among Massachusetts residents (aged 18–64 years) were 4.62% (95% CI = 4.59%, 4.64%) in the capture–recapture approach and 4.29% (95% CrI = 3.49%, 5.32%) in the Bayesian model.
What is the overdose law in Massachusetts? ›
The Massachusetts Good Samaritan Law protects the victim and those who seek help during an overdose. The law provides legal protection from arrest, charge and prosecution for obtaining, possessing, using, being under the influence, or administering Naloxone/Narcan for an opioid overdose.
