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ST. LOUIS, Mo. –The Associated General Contractors of Missouri has been recognized by the Missouri Works Initiative for its support of the White House Challenge on Opioid Abuse.
The certificate was presented by Dr. John Gaal, CWP, program director for the Worker Wellness Program within the Missouri Works Initiative, a non-profit organization sponsored and supported by the Missouri AFL-CIO.
According to Brandon Anderson, AGCMO’s vice president of safety, AGCMO has collaborated with the Worker Wellness Program by partnering with various organizations such as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (www.missouri988.org). In 2023 AGCMO also supported the founding of The Alliance for Naloxone Safety in the Workplace (www.answ.org) which is a free, open-source website providing resources to the industry to help combat the opioid epidemic. AGCMO’s safety professionals also have presented numerous training and educational sessions throughout the state.
“For decades, AGC of America and its chapters, along with organized labor, has played a key role in establishing minimum safety standards in the US workplace,” said Anderson. “These efforts have primarily focused on the physical aspects of safety.”
More recently, the industry has recognized that mental well-being, work-life balance and stress reduction are essential components in creating a safe and healthy work environment, he adds.
“Substance abuse is far too prevalent in our industry,”Anderson said. “Approximately 15 percent of all construction workers in the U.S. have a substance abuse disorder compared to 8.6 percent of the general population of adults, according to data from the National Survey on Drug Use conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. Construction workers also have the highest mortality rates for drug overdose deaths and prescription opioid–related overdose deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
By supporting organizations like ANSW, and partnering with AFL-CIO, labor and management are working together to build awareness and avoid opioid overdoses in the workplace, Anderson says. “By adding Naloxone education, training and supplies, contractors can enhance their safety programs and save lives when minutes count.”
During the past year, Anderson has participated in numerous panels, programs and podcasts, both regionally and nationwide, addressing substance abuse and suicide prevention in the workplace. Initiative sponsors/organizers that are taking action include AGCMO, AGC of Washington, Saint Louis University, ProCore, Aetna, ECORN-MO, LiUNA, DIMEO, Prevent ED, Graham Company, among others. In 2022, Anderson co-founded and currently co-chairs the AGC of America National Taskforce: Mental Health, Suicide Prevention and Substance Misuse.
