Naloxone kits are now available for any and all construction workers who are members of a union in Victoria.
The Carpenters’ Regional Council in Victoria said all of its members have access to naloxone kits and that it will provide free training on how to use them. It is the first craft union in B.C. to do so.
The kits are provided through the B.C. Construction Industry Rehab Plan’s (CIRP) “A Kit in Every Hand” initiative.
CIRP is a B.C. program that has been providing services to those in the construction industry for more than 35 years.
According to CIRP, 55 per cent of all the people who have died in the opioid epidemic are construction workers.
“It’s just a matter of time working in this industry before you know someone who’s died from an overdose,” said Matt Carlow, a union representative.
“It seems not long before you know more (overdose deaths) than you can count.”
The Victoria office was chosen to pilot this initiative after Local 1598 union members took action in light of frequently reported opioid deaths in construction.
Carlow is proud his union took on the initiative despite the stigma surrounding drug use.
“There’s a lot of stigma around this, but people are dying alone in their homes,” he said.
“Naloxone saves lives, and this union looks out for its members. This is a real way we can stop the deaths. I hope others follow our lead.”
While the project is being piloted in Victoria, the carpenters union plans to expand it to other offices across the province.
In an emailed statement, Island Health said it was “thrilled” with the “critically important” initiative, noting that construction workers and men are disproportionately impacted by the toxic drug crisis.
“We need to take a public health approach to addressing the toxic drug crisis, including steps like this that create conversations centred around support, not stigma,” it wrote.