Members of the Vancouver Island Construction Association are being offered opioid awareness training.
The Association has teamed up with Island Health to help trades-people understand who is at risk, what kinds of illicit drugs are most likely to be tainted with opioids, and what an OD looks like.
Spokesperson Rory Kulmala says you don’t have to look very far to find someone in the construction industry who has been affected by the opioid crisis.
“I have heard of people within the trades who have unfortunately succumbed to the opioid crisis,” he says.
“It’s not hard to stretch out your arm and find someone who’s been affected.”
The BC Coroners Service reported over 1100 overdose deaths so far this year.
Men are at the greatest risk and account for 83 percent of overdose deaths, while 75 percent of OD deaths involve people 30 to 59 years old.
