The February edition of REASON (Resources and Effective programs Addressing Suicide and Opioids Now)—a quarterly newsletter from North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) and The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) that shares solutions, research, and resources—highlighted 2024 overdose and suicide data. Those figures demonstrate that prevention efforts are making a difference.
Among construction workers aged 16-64, drug-related overdose deaths dropped 28.8 percent from 2023 to 2024. The number of deaths decreased from 15.9 thousand (K) to 11.3K, and the overdose death rate fell from 135.0 to 94.8 per 100,000 workers. Although 11,000 workers in the industry dying in a year from an overdose is still much too high, the reduction marks meaningful progress.
CPWR believes a series of actions, including many the industry has taken, have contributed to fewer lives lost:
- Education on risks of prescribed opioids and opioids in general
- Fewer opioid prescriptions between 2019 and 2023
- Widespread availability of naloxone on jobsites and in public
- Decreased stigma around substance use and mental health disorders
- Improved treatment and recovery support in the construction industry
Deaths by suicide have also declined. They fell 1.7 percent from 2023 to 2024 (5.1K to 5.0K), and the suicide rate decreased from 43.2 to 41.9 per 100,000 workers. CPWR offers a separate collection of Resources to Prevent Suicides in Construction. Both the opioids and suicide pages offer links to free resources such as Toolbox Talks, Hazard Alert Cards, infographics, relevant research, and training programs.
For more, visit www.cpwr.com.