Safety Beyond the Worksite: City Conducts Overdose Prevention Outreach to Construction Workers

Safety Beyond the Worksite: City Conducts Overdose Prevention Outreach to Construction Workers

Overdose rates among construction workers remains a concern; City agencies want the industry to know that help is available

Aug 31, 2026

New York, NY - This Overdose Awareness Month, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) and NYC Health + Hospitals are reminding construction workers that they are not alone and that help is available. Historically in NYC, construction workers have had among the highest rate of fatal drug overdoses of any profession, making overdose prevention and awareness especially critical for New York City's construction industry.

Last week, DOB and NYC Health + Hospitals conducted outreach directly to construction workers, raising awareness about overdose prevention, mental health and substance misuse resources, and the lifesaving role of naloxone. The on-site outreach included a free naloxone kit and training how to administer it in the event of an overdose, and it reinforced required safety training for mental health and substance misuse.

"Our work to protect workers' health and safety doesn't start or end at the edge of a job site. As we mark International Overdose Awareness Day, I'm grateful for the work that DOB, Health + Hospitals, and partners across the city have done to prevent overdoses across the five boroughs, including amongst construction workers. This is an important component of how we are supporting the New Yorkers who build and maintain our city," said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning.

"Sometimes, an injury on a construction site can be just the first chapter of a much larger struggle," said Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani. "We want our city's workers, and their families, to know that if they need help, it is available. We require mental health and substance misuse training for workers on large construction sites because we want them to have the knowledge and resources they need to help themselves, their coworkers, and their loved ones. Above all, we want anyone struggling to know that they are not alone."

"At NYC Health + Hospitals, we are here to ensure patients have access to safe, appropriate pain control and support at every stage of care. If pain becomes difficult to manage or medication use progresses to a substance use disorder, it is never the wrong time to reach out for help. Patients can seek care without judgment and with the confidence that effective treatment and support are available," said Omar Fattal, MD, MPH, NYC Health + Hospitals Chief Behavioral Health Officer. "NYC Health + Hospitals is committed to advancing how we understand and treat substance use disorders, meeting patients where they are and connecting them to compassionate, evidence-based care."

Connecting New Yorkers to Lifesaving Resources

NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest provider of behavioral health services in New York City, offering high-quality, compassionate care for New Yorkers affected by alcohol and drug dependency. Care may include individual and group counseling, medications to manage cravings and withdrawal, mental health support, and harm reduction resources such as naloxone and drug test strips. Patients can also receive help addressing basic needs, including access to food and clothing, recognizing that recovery is connected to overall health and well-being.

Patients in any of the health care system's 11 medical emergency departments who have or are at risk for substance use disorder can receive addiction consult services, which include screenings, brief interventions, referrals to addiction services and medication-assisted treatment (MAT), as well as harm reduction education and supplies, including fentanyl and xylazine test strips and naloxone kits. In 2025, the Addiction Consult services in emergency departments conducted nearly 42,000 patient encounters, made over 7,600 referrals to outpatient services, and distributed about 4,800 naloxone kits.

New Yorkers seeking addiction services can call 1-844-NYC-4NYC (1-844-692-4692) to be connected to care at NYC Health + Hospitals. 24/7 urgent telehealth care is also available through Virtual ExpressCare.

New Yorkers can also find medication for opioid use disorder programs through the NYC Health Map. State-licensed and City-supported Syringe Service Programs provide additional harm reduction resources, including comprehensive wraparound services and connections to treatment and other support.

New York City provides free programs to help New Yorkers learn how to recognize the signs of an overdose and respond with naloxone. Through the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and its nonprofit partners, New Yorkers can obtain naloxone kits and fentanyl test strips at no cost through Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs.

More information about where to find a free naloxone kit is available at nyc.gov/naloxone. Anyone can also call 988 for free, confidential crisis counseling, mental health and substance use support, information, and referrals.

Required Training and Awareness

As part of the City's broader efforts to connect construction workers with these resources and in accordance with City Law, DOB has incorporated mental health and substance misuse awareness training as a prerequisite to acquiring a Site Safety Training (SST) Card, which are required for workers on the City's larger and more complex construction sites. Local Law 10 of 2026, which took effect May 3, 2026, requires SST cards to include topics related to mental health and wellness, suicide risk and prevention, and alcohol and substance misuse.

Effective August 1, 2026, eligible renewal options for SST Worker and Supervisor cards were updated to include the 2-Hour Mental Health Awareness course. The course may be used to renew an SST card when completed together with either the 2-Hour Tool Box Talks course or the 2-Hour Pre-Task Meeting course.

Existing SST requirements include at least 40 hours of training for workers and 62 hours for supervisors. Over 450 thousand SST cards have been issued accounting for over 18 million hours of training.

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About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth -all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.