How can employers help injured workers avoid opioid-related harms?

July 25, 2024

Jessica Bowes

A warehouse worker with back pain.

Canada is experiencing an opioid crisis. According to Health Canada, there have been more than 44,000 opioid-related deaths in our country since 2016. Between 20% and 40% of those deaths were among working adults, which led the Institute for Work and Health (IWH) to investigate this issue. In a study published earlier this year, IWH found that workers who previously experienced a work-related injury demonstrated higher rates of opioid-related harms, including overdoses. We know opioids reduce the perception of pain, but they can also cause drowsiness, confusion, euphoria, nausea, and constipation. At high doses, they can slow breathing, which can lead to death.

Don Patten, a Specialized Consultant with WSPS, has also been looking into this problem. As an ergonomist, Don is very familiar with the chronic pain workers may experience as the result of a musculoskeletal disorder or other workplace injury. He also understands why someone may use painkillers, such as opioids, to numb that pain so that they can continue working.

“People are often dependent on their jobs for their livelihood. We need to earn money to provide for ourselves and our families and contribute to our life satisfaction,” explains Don. “When someone is injured or made ill as the result of work and pain prevents them from doing their job, they may turn to something to help them cope with that pain so that they can continue to work.”

What can you do as the employer?

The first thing an employer can do to help mitigate this risk is prevent workplace injuries from happening in the first place. “Having a strong workplace safety culture is so important,” says Don. “When you reduce the risk of your workers becoming injured, you are helping to prevent opioid-related harms later on.” Don also points out that having a strong safety culture includes fostering a psychologically safe work environment and having a robust reporting culture. “When workers are encouraged to report pain at work, the issue can be addressed before the pain becomes chronic,” says Don.

The second thing an employer can do to mitigate the risk of employees experiencing opioid harms is to have solid assistance in place for injured workers. “A strong workplace culture would include supports to help an injured worker as they recover and allow them to return to work safely,” Don says. Here are five points employers should focus on to support an injured worker.

Good benefits that give workers the required time off to heal. “There can be a lot of financial pressure to return to work before you’re ready,” says Don. Some of that pressure can be eliminated by a good health benefits package that provides access to an Employee and Family Assistance Program and the financial support needed for the worker to recover at home and get the physical and mental health support they need.
Job security. Similar to the financial pressure an injured worker may experience from being off work, they may also worry about losing their position if they do not return right away. Having good policies will help injured workers feel secure that their job will be there when they are ready to go back to it.
Valued relationships. Good relationships between co-workers and management fosters positive mental health for an injured worker during their recovery.
A supportive return to work plan. To help an injured worker have a successful return, flexibility and accommodation may be necessary, but the work also has to be meaningful.
Transparent and safe reporting. When workers feel safe and supported, they are more likely to be honest about any discomfort they are feeling or the progress of their recovery. When the stigma is removed, workers are more likely to report their pain, which reduces the risk of turning to opioids to mask it.