Health

Making Naloxone Part of Emergency Preparedness Plan

Dec. 7, 2023

National Safety Council has Respond Ready Workplace program to help employers.

Almost 1 in 11 workers who die at work die from a drug overdose.

And these deaths have been rapidly increasing for years – 536% since 2011.

The CDC predicts that nearly 110,000 people died from an overdose in 2022. That’s almost 300 people dying each day. Most of these deaths are due to opioids such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, heroin and fentanyl.

To help workplaces create an overdose readiness program, the National Safety Council created Respond Ready Workplace. This program aims to reduce overdose deaths in worksites by supporting the availability of naloxone, related training and support resources in workplaces.

The initiative focuses on:

Advocacy and education to draw awareness to the impact of overdose on workplaces and the importance of naloxone as an emergency response tool.
Employee training and support materials to ensure there are robust policies and programs in place to support a naloxone program.
Naloxone access resources to guide employers wanting to include naloxone in workplace first aid kits or other accessible locations

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor: Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.