The Ontario government will require at-risk workplaces to have naloxone kits available by next summer, and in order to help, they’re making the products and training free for businesses.
The province’s new Workplace Naloxone Program will require kits be accessible in at-risk workplaces by June 1, 2023.
According to the province, 2,819 people died from opioid-related causes last year – the highest number on record. Of the workers who died from opioid-related causes last year, 30 per cent were employed in construction – by far the most impacted industry.
Minister of Labour Monte McNaughton says the program is part of a larger goal to have the life saving tools available in all workplaces.
“Only a small minority of opioid-related deaths occur in workplaces, but I’ll be damned if we don’t do our part in helping save lives,” he said at a Wednesday morning press conference. “With more than 300,000 businesses across Ontario, by the end of the decade, I want every employer in our province to have one of these kits, just like they do a defibrillator.”
To find out if your workplace needs to have a naloxone kit, visit www.ontario.ca.