Employer-based approaches for targeting the opioid crisis in the construction industry

July 1, 2019 – August 31, 2020

Commercial construction workers have the highest opioid-related fatalities of any occupational group in the United States, with the majority of these overdose deaths having a history of work-related injury. Our long-term goal is to develop, test, and disseminate an employer-based intervention to address this public health crisis among construction workers.

For this Tier 1 pilot study, we have two aims: First, we aim to identify and examine the contextual factors influencing the delivery and evaluation of a planned employer-based program. Second, we aim to develop and test an outcome measure of workplace health climate focusing on pain and pain management, including opioid use and addiction.

The outputs of this research activity include new knowledge about pain and pain management for workers, a new scientific instrument to help evaluate organizational climate surrounding worker pain and pain management, and the groundwork for a new intervention model for opioid addiction prevention within the community. 

Northeastern University internal funding supported this research.