Washington — Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the House would direct OSHA to create employer guidance on acquiring opioid overdose reversal medication and training workers on its use.
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) introduced the Workplace Overdose Reversal Kits (WORK) to Save Lives Act on Sept. 12. The bill has 16 co-sponsors.
Under the bill, OSHA would have nine months after the legislation is enacted to publish the nonmandatory guidance.
Data from the National Safety Council’s Injury Facts website shows that overdose deaths of all types accounted for nearly 9% of workplace injury deaths in 2021. In July, the Food and Drug Administration approved a second over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray – ReVive – for emergency treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose. The move followed the agency’s approval of Narcan in March.
In a press release, Watson Coleman said the legislation “will finally give workplaces the tools to save workers who are struggling with opioid addiction. Getting these overdose reversal medications – and training in their use – to as many employers as possible has the potential to save countless lives.”
