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18Health / Work

Where work, pain and prevention meet

A province-wide study finds opioid toxicity deaths are not evenly distributed across occupations.

Reported by Eileen Hoftyzer

Construction work is one setting examined in a study of opioid toxicity deaths in Ontario.
HealthConstruction work is one setting examined in a study of opioid toxicity deaths in Ontario.Photo: Sean Justice / Getty Images

Researchers found that construction and trades workers made up about one-third of people who died from opioid toxicity in Ontario during the study period. The analysis covered nearly 16,000 deaths from 2018 to 2024.

The point is not a stereotype. It is a prompt for better support: workplace prevention, treatment access and harm reduction need to meet people where work and pain actually intersect.

Sources 1
  1. Original reporting · utoronto.ca
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This story is from the August 2026 issue of Alumni Digest · U of T. It's free, monthly and independent.

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