Supervisor Training: Opioids at the Worksite – Intervention

Opioids are highly addictive, and even when taken as prescribed, some people can find themselves unable to stop taking them after as few as five days.

This is especially true in the home building industry, where it is the norm to work through pain and get back to work as quickly as possible after an injury. And construction supervisors may not be trained in how to talk about drug misuse or addiction with their employees and subcontractors. So even when there is a concern, many builders don’t know what to do.

This toolkit provides supervisors with strategies for identifying problems with opioids and how to help employees and others identify and connect with quality treatment providers. The success of these tools depends on having open and judgement-free conversations about drug use and policies and procedures supporting a supervisor’s ability to intervene.

The materials consist of a comprehensive downloadable guide (PDF) and a podcast featuring a home builder explaining his experience in dealing with opioid use (embedded below).

The resources offer an overview of the issue, case studies, checklists and detailed information on topics including:

• Red & Yellow Flags: Signs Your Worker May Be Misusing Opioids
• For-Cause Drug Testing of Employees
• Dos and Don’ts for Talking to Employees About Drug-Related Performance Issues
• How Employee Assistance Programs Help to Address Opioid Misuse
• Treatment Options for Opioid Misuse
• How to Help Your Workers Find Treatment Resources
• Setting Up a Worksite Overdose Response (Naloxone) Program 

This program was developed in conjunction with the Job-Site Safety Institute and Advocates for Human Potential