The Ontario government has initiated a new course of action to fight the opioid crisis.
The province said it has introduced legislation that will require workplaces that are at risk of a worker opioid overdose to have naloxone kits to protect workers on the job and save lives. So far the bill has had only first reading in the legislature and was passed. The bill needs three readings to pass to become law.
"The Occupational Health and Safety Act is amended to require employers to provide naloxone kits and comply with related requirements if the employer becomes aware, or ought reasonably to be aware, that there may be a risk of a worker having an opioid overdose at a workplace where that worker performs work for the employer, or where the prescribed circumstances exist," said the proposed change to Bill 88.
If passed, the Working for Workers Act, 2022 (Working for Workers Act 2), will require workplaces that are at risk of a worker opioid overdose to have naloxone kits. The legislation would also introduce the highest fines in Canada for companies that fail to follow workplace health and safety laws.
Naloxone is a medication that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and allow time for emergency medical help to arrive. Requiring businesses in high-risk settings to have naloxone kits on hand will help reduce the stigma around opioid abuse, raise awareness about the risks of accidental overdoses, and potentially save hundreds of lives a year, said a government news release.
Ontario labour minister Monte McNaughton said the concerns over opioids have become common knowledge in Ontario.
“Everyone in our province knows someone who has been impacted by the opioid epidemic,” said McNaughton, in a government news release.
Approximately 2,500 people died from opioid-related causes between March 2020 and January 2021 – of the victims who were employed, 30 per cent were construction workers, by far the most of any industry impacted, said the news release. Bars and nightclubs are also seeing increased opioid usage, which often involve recreational drugs laced with deadly opioids such as fentanyl and carfentanil, said the release.
Michael Tibollo, Ontario's Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, said it is important to recognize the need to help workers who are struggling with addiction.
“By ensuring access to life-saving naloxone kits where and when our workers need them, our government is helping to protect more Ontarians struggling with addiction from preventable deaths and taking decisive action to address the challenges of the opioid crisis,” said Tibollo.
Naloxone kits are available free at most drug stores in Ontario as well as at all public health units.
