Boston — Unintentional overdoses accounted for greater than 1 out of 4 office deaths in Massachusetts between 2021 and 2022, the state’s Department of Public Health studies.
For its Massachusetts Fatal Injuries at Work report, DPH used knowledge from its Occupational Health Surveillance Program.
Since 2016, overdoses have been the main explanation for office fatalities in Massachusetts, with the typical age of victims being 44.
Over the 2 years examined for the report, 47 individuals died on the job due to an unintentional overdose, making up 26.4% of the 178 office deaths within the state over that interval. That in contrast with 9.3% nationally.
The second main explanation for office deaths within the state was suicide (25), adopted by roadway crash (21), fall to a decrease stage (19), pedestrian incident (14), and struck by a falling object or gear (12).
Other findings:
- The agriculture, forestry, fishing and searching business had the very best deadly office harm charge, with 36.8 deaths per 100,000 full-time employees. Landscaping (14.9), transportation (10.9) and utilities (10.9) adopted.
- The employees had been predominantly male (89.9%) and ranged in age from 16 to 86.
- 68% of the employees had been white non-Hispanic.
DPH encourages employers to interact within the state’s deadly harm prevention packages and actions, such at The BeHERE initiative. It gives coaching sources on opioids, ache prevention and recovery-supportive workplaces.
Other choices from the division embrace on-line sources reminiscent of its Suicide Prevention Program, the MassMen initiative to supply life instruments for males and a suicide prevention useful resource information for building employees.
