In Canada, men experience the highest rates of opioid overdoses, and trades workers are more impacted by substance use and addiction than other fields of work.
Trades work is physically demanding and stressful. Its culture calls for celebratory or relaxation drinks or substance use after work. Injury and chronic pain are common in the trades, and many trades workers self-medicate with alcohol or other substances—including pain relievers that can be opiate based.
These circumstances are compounded by expectations on men to avoid talking about their pain, mental health challenges, or substance use, and the result is that they are less likely to ask for help when they need it.
The BC Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA) produced “Construction Safety and Substance Use: Blueprint for Action in BC,” in co-operation with scientists at the Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction at Simon Fraser University (SFU).
“It’s the most comprehensive investigation of substance use and its implications for safety in a large regional construction sector,” said Julian Somers, an SFU health sciences professor and one of the report’s authors. “According to the results, cannabis and alcohol account for the vast majority of safety and health-related risks faced by workers in BC construction.”
The report was informed by 639 anonymous responses to a survey about what substances workers are using. The results indicated that in the 12 months prior, respondents used alcohol (82 percent), cannabis (42 percent), tobacco (31 percent), mushrooms/LSD (16 percent) and cocaine (nine percent).
Vicky Waldron is executive director of the non-profit Construction Industry Rehabilitation Plan (CIRP). In an interview with Business in Vancouver she says she is pleased that construction is now taking substance use and mental health seriously.
“It used to ignore them, so it’s a step in the right direction,” said Waldron.
As of 2023, each year, CIRP serves approximately 220 construction workers, and the program’s intakes have increased 64% since COVID-19 was declared.
CIRP’s report, “Estimation of the Economic Impact of Substance Use and the Related Mental Health Issues on the BC Construction Industry,” released in 2023, calculates the annual economic impact of substance use and related mental health issues on the construction industry, looking at days of work missed and days of work when a worker was present but hungover or going through withdrawal and unable to work at full capacity.
Data was collected through a three-minute, anonymous email and text survey delivered to trades workers. The results indicated that the total annual cost to the industry from employees missing work and showing up hungover or with withdrawal symptoms to be $847 million, and the cost to the provincial government in taxes foregone was estimated at $318 million.
In response to the survey findings, CIRP released a white paper called, “Construction Industry-Led Solution to the Overdose Epidemic,” outlining the extent of the problem and possible solutions for both the industry and government to consider as the epidemic enters its eighth year.
“We believe that working together, construction industry employers, trade unions, and the provincial, federal, and municipal governments can find lasting solutions that will give workers affected a way forward to recovery and create a stronger, more resilient and productive workforce,” Waldron says.
The white paper provides 16 recommendations for supporting a prevention and treatment model developed by and for the construction industry. These include treating the client within the context of the construction industry and in cooperation with the employer and union; employing prevention and education that includes awareness of substance use issues and peer training; appropriate supports for those ready and not ready for treatment, screening, and pain management alternatives; and ongoing support, including return to work, to build resilience.
Read the report and white paper at: constructionrehabplan.com/press-releases/the-impact-of-substance-use-amp-related-mental-health-issues-costs-construction-industry-847-million-annually-in-lost-time-recommends-actions-to-create-solutions-amp-save-lives
Vicky Waldron, CIRP’s executive director, spoke at SMACNA-BC’s membership dinner meeting in January. Learn more about her presentation and access CIRP resources at constructionrehabplan.com. ■
This news piece was compiled from BCCSA and CIRP resources, which can be found in their entirety at the URLs above. If you or someone you work with needs help with addiction or mental health challenges, reach out to CIRP or SMACNA-BC to connect with the resources that can help.
