Respond Ready Workplace: Naloxone for Opioid Overdose

Preparing for Overdoses Saves Lives

Drug overdose is the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States, and the main cause of these fatalities is opioids. This crisis reaches employees in all industries and occupations, with workplace overdose deaths increasing by 619% since 2011 and overdoses now causing nearly 10% of all worker deaths on the job. Additionally, Emergency Medical Services was activated over 12,600 times to respond to potential opioid overdoses occurring in workplace settings in 2024. 

Recent FDA approval of naloxone nasal sprays for over-the-counter use gives your workplace a new lifesaving tool to prevent these deaths. Naloxone is a drug that can temporarily stop many of the life-threatening effects of opioid overdose. Including naloxone in your workplace first aid kit or elsewhere onsite, and training employees to use it, is a critical component of emergency response to help save a life. The Respond Ready Workplace program helps employers to address overdose deaths at work by supporting access to naloxone as well as providing related training and resources.

Be Respond Ready

Obtaining naloxone for your workplace and training your employees to use it will give every member of your workforce the skills and resources they need to save a life at work and in the community. Be Respond Ready with options for training your employees and obtaining naloxone for your workplace.

● Obtain NARCAN^® Nasal Spray for your workplace 

● Train your employees by utilizing the free NSC eLearning or NSC First Aid Training, which covers naloxone administration

● Find naloxone near you: community access for individuals or over-the-counter access

● Create policies and procedures to support your naloxone implementation

● Review survey results that demonstrate gaps and opportunities to address substance use, opioids and overdose in the workplace

NSC is Leading the Way

Through its Respond Ready Workplace program, NSC is committed to working with employers, government agencies and other stakeholders to:

● Spread awareness about the importance of incorporating naloxone into workplace emergency
preparedness programs

● Disseminate legal guidance for employers around state Good Samaritan and naloxone access laws and help states improve these laws

● Support the federal WORK to Save Lives Act (H.R. 5420/S. 2948) to ensure workplaces are
   equipped with naloxone and employees are trained to use it

● Offer a free standalone naloxone eLearning for workplaces

● Increase access to naloxone through support of external distribution opportunities

● Share stories and examples of how employers can create effective opioid overdose response programs

● Launch the Workplace Wellbeing Hub, a place for actionable tools to address wellbeing-related risk factors for impairment, injuries and fatalities

Learn more about the risks of opioids in the workplace and how employers can make a difference.