For the longest time, standard workplace safety followed the most unpredictable script. One had to wear a high-visibility vest so a forklift driver having an off day won’t turn you into human meat. Keep a fire extinguisher within arm’s reach so you don’t accidentally burn the warehouse down. Stash a small box of plasters, a bottle of eye wash, and an automated external defibrillator on the wall, for all sorts of injuries.
Times have changed now, and quite dramatically if the new OSHA guidance on workplace opioid overdose is to be believed. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published new guidance advising employers that it is time to add something new to that emergency cabinet: opioid reversal medications.
OSHA has released fresh guidelines urging employers to stock opioid reversal drugs like naloxone alongside AEDs. (Image: Pexels)
According to the new federal fact sheet titled “Opioid Overdose Rescue with Reversal Medications,” it arrives as an advisory rather than a legal mandate. The guidance does not create binding new regulations or hand inspectors an excuse to write citations. What it does, however, is show that opioid overdoses can happen anywhere, including in an office where people work 9 to 5.
At the center of OSHA’s recommendations are two FDA-approved medications, Naloxone and Nalmefene. These medications act as chemical brakes when one overdoses, by latching onto receptors in the nervous system to knock the opioid off and rapidly restore normal breathing.
OSHA recommends treating these kids like fire equipment or defibrillators. That means placing them in plain sight, in clearly marked locations, and within seconds of reach. Stashing them away in a manager’s drawer next to expired tea bags defeats the purpose.
Another one of OSHA’s strongest directives is that emergency medical services must be called immediately, even if a revived employee sits up and insists they are fit to drive back home.
Opioid reversal drugs are temporary lifelines, and not to be seen as permanent repairs. Once the medicine wears off, often after 30 to 90 minutes, the patient can slip back into respiratory arrest.
While waiting for professional medics, responders should place the individual in the recovery position to keep the airway clear and prevent choking.
OSHA’s guidance is not an enforceable rule. No OSHA officer will fine an employer purely for omitting nasal spray from the breakroom. Smart managers, however, know that safety guidelines rarely exist in a vacuum.
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