Opioid crisis
Nearly 8 pct of Ontario's construction workers died due to opioid crisis from 2017 to 2020: Report
Toronto/IBNS: Ontario's men working in the construction industry have been most affected by the opioid crisis, accounting for nearly eight per cent of all opioid-related deaths in the province between 2017 and 2020 a new report suggests.
The report was published by Public Health Ontario, the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network, and Ontario's Office of the Chief Coroner.
According to the report 428 people who worked, or had previously worked in construction died of opioids from 2017-2020 in Ontario which is about eight percent of all opioid-related deaths, even though only seven per cent of the province's workforce are employed by this profession.
Researchers found that unregulated fentanyl had directly contributed to deaths in 87 per cent of cases. The rate at which those construction workers aged 25 to 44 lost their lives is higher than those without construction in their employment history.
About 98 per cent of construction workers who were men died from an overdose.
(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
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