Mandatory naloxone kits in some workplaces is good policy, according to Workplace Safety North

On Thursday, businesses who employ people at risk of overdosing will need to have a naloxone kit in the workplace and training on how to use it. 

Naloxone can save lives by temporarily reversing an opioid overdose, which can buy time until emergency responders show up.

This new law comes into effect on June 1st.

According to the province, employers can assess overdose risks in several ways.

They can look at whether an overdose previously occurred on site, and whether opioid paraphernalia, such as needles, has been found in the workplace. 

A workplace is considered high-risk if an employer has observed employees using opioids, or if employees have openly disclosed they are opioid users. 

The vice president of Health and Safety Services at Workplace Safety North, Mike Parent, says there's "good reasons why the province created this legislation." 

"It's life saving medication," he said.

His own employer did an assessment and determined that the risk of overdose at Workplace Safety North was low. 

But the association's offices are located in downtown Sudbury, so the employer decided to bring in naloxone kits in case someone from the public needed it. 

"We found training videos online," said Parent. 

He says it took about 10 minutes to inform staff on where to find the kit and how to use it. 

"We're not getting a lot of pushback from staff on this," he said. "I think they see it's reasonable to be able to administer this." 

"It's no different than some workplaces that carry defibrillators or first aid kits."