WORK to Save Lives Act: Statement from Libby Jones, Associate Vice President, Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Overdose Prevention Initiative

“Workplaces should not have to improvise in an overdose emergency. The WORK to Save Lives Act directs the U.S. Department of Labor to issue practical guidance on stocking opioid overdose reversal medication and training staff, so employers can protect workers without new mandates. The bill provides clear, workable steps to prepare employers for an overdose emergency and protect the people who keep our communities running. 

Workplace overdose deaths continue to rise. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show 525 unintentional overdose deaths at work in 2022, the tenth straight year of increases. The National Safety Council reports 512 workplace overdose deaths in 2023, 9.7 percent of all occupational injury deaths. 

For many people with substance use disorders, workplaces can serve as the front door for safety and support. CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health estimates nearly two-thirds of adults with a substance use disorder in 2022 were employed.  

Employers can act with tools that already exist. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray in 2023, which can support workplace readiness and emergency response planning. 

When overdose risk follows people to work, employers need clarity. This bill delivers it, and Congress can move it quickly.” 

Thank You Statement: 

“We thank Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman and John Rutherford and Senators Jeff Merkley and Lisa Murkowski for leading a bipartisan, bicameral effort to make workplace overdose readiness a shared priority.”- Libby Jones, Associate Vice President, Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Overdose Prevention Initiative 

Press Release Inclusion Quote: 

“The WORK to Save Lives Act is smart, bipartisan leadership. It directs OSHA to provide non-mandatory workplace guidance on overdose reversal medication and annual training, and it strengthens readiness across federal workplaces. This is a practical step Congress can advance quickly to help keep workers safe”- Libby Jones, Associate Vice President, Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Overdose Prevention Initiative