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36 Pallet C e nt ral • No vem be r-D e cem be r 2 0 24 OSHA BY ADELE L. ABRAMS, ESQ., ASP, CMSP OD OTJ: THE HIDDEN KILLER OF US WORKERS T he Porta Potty door was locked for way too long, and a line formed at break time. After no response could be heard, the crew finally got it opened . . . and out fell their coworker. e man was nonresponsive, and coworkers were hesitant to approach and help. Confusion and panic set in. "What if it's fentanyl? at can kill us too." "Do we have any Narcan here in the first aid supplies?" "No. Does anyone have any in their trucks?" "Anyone know CPR?" "Is there an AED here?" Eventually, the first responders arrive and confirm that there was an overdose, and that the worker is deceased. If the overdose was an opiate, Narcan—the brand name for Naloxone (the opiate reversal medication)—could have revived the individual long enough for a 911 emergency response to occur. But if it was an overdose on another drug—methamphetamine or cocaine, for example—use of Narcan would not hurt the individual, but it would not revive them, either. e scenario above is not hypothetical. I get multiple calls each year from employers who have had a death by overdose (OD) on the worksite, or who have multiple people down who were revived successfully but now face the issue of how to respond under their disciplinary and substance abuse policies, and how to deal with the aftermath and the traumatized fellow workers. For those thinking that this is a remote possibility, remember that it may not have happened at your company YET—but YET stands for "You're Eligible Too." While mining and construction have the highest rates of overdose (and, not coincidentally, the highest rates of suicide), heav y industrial work such as manufacturing and warehousing/ logistics also is prone to workers with addiction and overdose potential. In the 2023 Vital Statistics report published by the US Department

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