By: Yoyo Rita
The United States has experienced an ongoing opioid abuse crisis for several decades, since medical providers began to more liberally prescribe addictive opioids such as oxycodone in the 1990s. In addition to social factors such as de-industrialization in the Rust Belt, many millions of individuals in the United States continue to struggle with opioid addiction. In modern day, there are increased rates of prescription opioid abuse and illicit drug use, such as heroin and black-market fentanyl. According to SAMSHA, “in 2025, the percentage of people who misused prescription opioids in the past year […] among adults aged 26 or older [was] 2.5% or 5.7 million people.”[1] Furthermore, an increase in illegal fentanyl being sold in the illicit drug markets (often contaminating other drugs) has led to a dramatic increase in overdoses in the United States.
This serious crisis has an impact on the workplace, since employees can experience an overdose while on the job—posing a threat to individuals’ wellbeing and a major liability to any company. The possibility of opioid overdose in the workplace was addressed in OSHA’s recent informational sheet issued last month, in which they outline “Opioid Overdose Rescue with Reversal Medications.”[2] Such “reversal medications” are life-saving medications that can be kept and administered in the workplace in case of overdose by an employee or individual on company property. The most common reversal medication is known as Narcan, which can be administered via a nasal spray to temporarily reverse overdose while first responders are on their way.
This guidance is significant, in no small part because it directly recognizes the ongoing opioid crisis and its impact on the workplace. While providing educational material to inform employers of the best practices to prevent and treat an overdose in the workplace, it also serves as a reflection of the current societal paradigm in which we live. Reversal medications are becoming increasingly common in public and private spaces, serving as life-saving tools as common as a defibrillator or fire alarm. An organization may not wish to recognize the possibility of one of its employees or an individual on its property suffering an overdose; however, these life-saving tools are simple, affordable, and reduce the chances of a fatal overdose.
According to SHRM, “Employers can obtain naloxone through pharmacies, wholesalers, manufacturer programs and, in some cases, state or local health departments that distribute it at low or no cost.”[3] Taking these precautions, along with training staff on how to administer these drugs, is a simple and effective way to prevent a fatal overdose.
[1] https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-2025-Annual-Release/2025-nsduh-nnr-highlights.pdf
[2] https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA4519.pdf
[3] https://www.shrm.org/mena/topics-tools/employment-law-compliance/osha-urges-employers-to-prepare-opioid-overdoses-at-work