According to new federal numbers, 10 people die from illicit drug overdoses every day in Canada.
The study, by the Public Health Agency of Canada, also looked at the social and economic backgrounds of people who died from overdoses in British Columbia.
The study found 77 per cent were men, and nearly three quarters of those men were between the ages of 25 and 54. While the majority of people who died of an overdose were unemployed, the study found one fifth of those who were employed worked in construction trades.
“In the construction industry (opioid addiction) often begins with pain – a job site related injury, a fall, exposure to repetitive motions, vibrations,” said Dr. Diane Rothon with Alavida Health, based in B.C.
“People in the construction industry aren’t necessarily trained on how to lift and stretch, and execute their work so they experience a very high frequency of back injury, knee injury, and shoulder and joint pain.”
Job site related injuries need to be prevented to reduce opioid addiction in the construction industry, Rothon said.
