A Push to Limit Opioids in Workplace

September 7, 2023

OSHA keeps door open to overdose prevention drug

  • Industry groups want businesses to include an opioid overdose prevention drug, Naloxone, in their first aid supplies.
  • OSHA doesn’t regulate stocking the drug and Naloxone no longer requires a prescription.
  • The Food and Drug Administration approved two nasal spray versions of Naloxone — Narcan and RiVive— as non-prescription drugs that can be sold in stores or online.
  • The push comes as the US continues to grapple with an opioid crisis that has claimed thousands of lives nationwide.
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Penalties after trench collapse causes death of worker

  • OSHA issued several citations have been issued in a trench collapse that claimed the life of one man and injured two others in December of 2022 in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
  • Southern Diversified Technologies, Inc. of Little Rock had two employees inside a six-foot deep trench working on a damaged fiber optic cable when the collapse occurred on Dec. 12.
  • Austin Neth, 31, of Walnut Ridge, died in the collapse, which occurred in front of Affordable Medical Supplies.
  • SDT, Inc. has contested all the violations and the fines, which total $218,759.
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Waiting for national heat standard

  • Lawmakers and activists have been calling on OSHA to move fast to protect workers from extreme heat.
  • The Department of Labor is committed to issuing the first nationwide rule regulating heat in the workplace.
  • However, acting Labor Secretary Julie Su said that such standards “do not happen overnight.”
  • Texas recently passed legislation eliminating mandatory water breaks for construction workers in cities with those ordinances.
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Awareness key to preventing construction site accidents

  • Construction site accidents, including incidents that result in death,  happen frequently and are routinely reported to OSHA.
  • The sounds of a construction site can be perilous if you cannot hear them properly.
  • While headphones that minimize noise exposure at the job site can mitigate hearing damage, they can also hinder important communication channels.
  • Clearly communicating safety regulations with workers will prevent injury or death.
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