HEALTH & SAFETY
ALERT
Resource Guide to Prevent Opioid Use Disorder
MSHA and NIOSH have partnered together to publish a resource guide to help employers protect workers from the dangers of opioid use disorder.
- The goal of this guide is to provide mine operators, occupational safety and health managers, and others with actionable tools to more effectively plan, implement, and integrate a range of workplace interventions to prevent prescription opioid misuse, illegal opioid use, and opioid use disorder among mine workers.
- Opioids are pain-relieving medications that can be made from natural or synthetic substances. Opioids are extremely addictive. Long-term use of opioids increases the risk of opioid use disorder and overdose.
- Opioid use disorder can be diagnosed by criteria such as continued use despite negative consequences, craving for opioids, a pattern of taking larger amounts of opioids over a longer period than intended, and withdrawal symptoms in the absence of opioids.
- Mine workers have been found to have among the highest rates of illegal opioid use compared to workers in other industries.
