Mandatory naloxone kits in some workplaces is good policy, according to Workplace Safety North

On Thursday, businesses who employ people at risk of overdosing will need to have a naloxone kit in the workplace and training on how to use it.

Naloxone can save lives by temporarily reversing an opioid overdose, which can buy time until emergency responders show up.

This new law comes into effect on June 1st.

According to the province, employers can assess overdose risks in several ways.

They can look at whether an overdose previously occurred on site, and whether opioid paraphernalia, such as needles, has been found in the workplace.

A workplaceis considered high-risk if an employer hasobserved employees using opioids, or if employees have openly disclosed they are opioid users.

The vice president of Health and Safety Services at Workplace Safety North, Mike Parent, says there's "good reasons why the province created this legislation."

"It's life saving medication," he said.

Assessing risk in the workplace

His own employer did an assessment and determined that the risk of overdose at Workplace Safety North was low.

But the association's offices are located in downtown Sudbury, so the employer decided to bring innaloxone kits in case someone from the public needed it.

"We found training videos online," said Parent.

He says it took about 10 minutes to inform staff on where to find the kit and how to use it.

"We're not getting a lot of pushback from staff on this," he said. "I think they see it's reasonable to be able to administer this."

"It's no different than some workplaces that carry defibrillators or first aid kits."

Mental health and addictions training should also be required, according to Parent

Parentsays that naloxone is not the only way employers can address the opioid crisis.

He says training in mental health can help employers identify signs someone is struggling with an addiction.

"They should be doing prevention, rather than waiting for something to happen and then reacting to it."

Ontario's Labour Minister, Monte McNaughton, wants every employer in the province to have a naloxone kit by the end of the decade.

Recent data from the province's Chief Coroner revealed there were 7 opiate overdose deaths per day in Ontario in 2022.

The situation is particularly serious in northern cities, whichhave three times the overdose mortality rates as the provincial average.