Safety council launches toolkit to combat opioid abuse

The National Safety Council has launched a toolkit to help employers address the opioid crisis, the nonprofit announced Wednesday.

In February, the NSC released a survey indicating that 75% of respondent employers said they had been directly impacted by opioid misuse, but just 17% said they were well prepared to address the issue.

The Opioids at Work Employer Toolkit, available on the NSC website, provides information for employers to help them identify the warning signs of opioid misuse and recognize signs of employee impairment. The toolkit also comes with strategies to help employers educate workers on opioid use risks, and develop drug-related human resources policies, as well as information on how to support employees struggling with opioid misuse.

The NSC also partnered with Lake Forest, Illinois-based Stericycle Inc. in the development of the toolkit, and offers Stericycle’s medication mail-back envelopes to employers, which allow workers to dispose of up to 8 ounces of unused or expired drugs by sealing them in the envelope and dropping them in any mailbox.