Over the last 25 years, whenever a new kind of crisis emerges in America, we tend to default to denying that it has anything to do with our workplace. SARS, use of defibrillators, Active Shooters, H1N1, bullying, COVID, AI, wildfires, kidnapping, severe weather, terrorism, AMBER alert, suicide. The list is long regarding emergencies that struck our society generally, but were initially ignored as threats to and in the workplace.
Example: Defibrillators. Heart attacks have been around forever. But, when challenging workplace management, their consistent response up to 10 years ago: “That does not happen in workplaces, so we can’t deploy defibrillators! And if we did, we would have to hire a doctor and consult our lawyers. That’s never going to happen in our workplace!” Then an employee, contractor or visitor has an episode. Then—and only then—management gets on board. Today, you can’t find a workplace anywhere in America that doesn’t have a defibrillator—or many AEDs.
Today, it’s Narcan (naloxone hydrochloride). The threat: 100,000-plus Americans die every year from overdoses of prescription and other kinds of drugs, according to the CDC. When I recommend to my clients that they stock and train the application of Narcan, their kneejerk response is: “That does not happen in workplaces, so we can’t deploy Narcan! And if we did, we would have to hire a doctor and consult our lawyers. That’s never going to happen in our workplace!”
Sound familiar?
The overdose threat to all workplaces is real. The cultural memory in America: 40,000 Americans die every year of car crashes and have for decades. The exact number of gun deaths in the U.S. annually has remained the same for decades. Overdose deaths are two and a half times greater than those recognized as workplace emergencies.
When I broach the subject of overdosing in their workplaces with senior managers, they cover their ears and start singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat…” There’s no question that there is an additional denial not present for the defibrillator recommendation. Senior managers say, “Overdoses only occur to weak or bad people taking illegal drugs.” The reality: In the majority, those who overdose are white, male, and between the ages of 39 and 50 years, says the National Institute of Health.
Do you employ a lot of white males aged 39-50?
As this workplace emergency continues to catch employers off guard, a cruel twist is developing. Those who try to help by performing first aid on an overdosing coworker, visitor or contractor are also succumbing to the drug because it is present on the clothes and skin of the person overdosing. Now, management has two or more overdosing personnel for whom the employer is responsible.
The most dramatic of this overdose transfer phenomenon is when it hits police, fire and EMT personnel who are trying to save a person who has overdosed. The internet is full of real-time videos of emergency services personnel administering Narcan, then going down themselves, thereby needing their dose—or doses—of Narcan.
The good news is that Narcan saves lives. Those who go down seem to die, then almost immediately pop up with the application of Narcan. However, like any emergency response practice, this should be included in the employer’s first aid training. PPE and multiple applications of Narcan are mandatory if you, as the employer, are to meet your duty of care to keep all personnel "free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm." [29 U.S. Code §654 §5(a)(1)].
Reminder: Every employer in the U.S.—no matter what your size or business model—is required by law to have at least one employee present, trained and currently certified in first aid. (29 CFR 1910.151). This is where any employer meets their duty of care regarding overdoses, heart attacks, or any workplace injury.
