Workers who have previously experienced a work-related injury are more likely to suffer opioid poisonings and other opioid-related harms than the general population, according to a new study by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC).
The research analyzed data from 1.7 million Ontario workers who had accepted lost-time workers’ compensation claims between 1983 and 2019. The study found higher rates of opioid-related harms—including poisonings and mental and behavioural disorders related to withdrawal and dependence—among these formerly injured workers.
“Our results suggest that work-related injuries are associated with increased future risk of opioid harms,” said Dr. Jeavana Sritharan, OCRC scientist and co-author of two peer-reviewed journal articles on the study.
Several occupational groups showed greater risks of opioid-related harms within the sample of injured workers. These included construction, forestry and logging, materials handling, machining and processing. In some cases, higher risks were identified only in specific occupations, such as nursing aides, janitors and cleaners, and security guards.
“Part of the reason may be that workers in physically demanding jobs make up a disproportionate share of injured workers,” said Dr. Nancy Carnide, IWH scientist and study co-author. “But part of the reason may also be related to the experience of being injured and recovering from a work injury.”
The study utilized the Occupational Disease Surveillance System, which links records from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board with health-care data to identify hospitalizations and emergency department visits for opioid-related harms from 2006 to 2020.
The extensive dataset allowed researchers to examine which industries and occupations face higher risks of opioid harms. “These results can be used by policy-makers and workplaces to target prevention and harm reduction activities,” said Carnide.