SPECIAL

Construction workers prone to overdose deaths in R.I.

Katie Mulvaney
kmulvane@providencejournal.com
A high rate of overdose deaths plaques the construction industry in Rhode Island. [Providence Journal file]

[Providence Journal file]

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PROVIDENCE -- The construction industry leads the way in Rhode Island when it comes to fatal overdoses, according to the state Department of Health.

Data presented to Governor Gina Raimondo's Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force shows that a quarter -- or 140 of the 569 -- overdose deaths in Rhode Island from July 2016 through June 2018 came from fields that include carpentry, laborers, construction workers, electricians and commercial fishing. Of those deaths, 20 percent were in the construction industry alone.

Eighty percent of the fatal overdoses in the construction and maintenance fields involved fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid painkiller that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl use contributed to 75 percent of the overdose deaths in Rhode Island overall, with cocaine contributing to 37 percent. Alcohol and benzodiazepines, psychoactive drugs commonly known to treat anxiety and insomnia, each contributed to 23 percent of the fatal overdoses.

Nearly three-quarters of those to die overall were men, with the second highest proportion of overdose death coming from the service industry -- cooks, bartenders, barbers, maintenance workers -- followed by those in the management, business, science, and arts fields.

The findings did not come as a surprise to Justin Kelley, business representative for the Rhode Island Painters Union, District Council Local 195. It's a trend that's been playing out nationally.

"Put yourself in the boots of a man or woman in the industry," he said. He attributed the overdose deaths in the construction industry overlapping factors: hard, heavy work; repetitive motion injuries; and a lack of time paid time off, meaning workers are inclined to try to labor through injuries in the male-dominated field.

Kelley faulted doctors, too, for prescribing opioids "like candies."

Other factors, he said, are that the industry can prove unstable, leaving workers unemployed for months on end. Too much down time can lead to depression and sadness that, in turn, could lead to self medication with alcohol or drugs.

"If there's nothing to build, you're sitting at home," Kelley said.

Kelley said he's learned to "spot a junkie" on the job, but that those in the construction trades are trying to tamp down any stigmatization associated with substance abuse and instead urge users to seek help.

"An overdose doesn't mean it's over," Kelley said.

They are working, too, to educate workers to resist taking powerful drugs for injuries, he said.

"Don't go straight to OxyContin. You'll find them crushing it and snorting it," Kelley said.

The state is now evaluating the data, according state Department of Health spokesman Joseph Wendelken.

"[W]e do not yet know why particular people in particular fields appear to be at higher risk for overdose. We are in the process of looking at the data now in an even more granular way to understand all the factors involved, and to make adjustments to our prevention efforts," Wendelken said in an email.

"We are going to be exploring different opportunities to do education for people in the construction industry to help workers better understand the signs of opioid-use disorder, and to help workers know about the different, non-opioid pain management options that are available. We envision doing this in partnership with the organization Building Futures RI," Wendelken continued.

Fatal opioid overdoses spiked in 2016, with 336 death. Those numbers have declined slightly. As on August 14th, Rhode Island has seen 156 overdose death, more than 40 of which are awaiting toxicology reports.

kmulvane@providencejournal.com

 (401)277-7417

@kmulvane