For the first time in U.S. history, a person is more likely to die from an accidental opioid overdose than from a motor vehicle crash, according to National Safety Council analysis. The odds of dying accidentally from an opioid overdose have risen to one in 96, eclipsing the odds of dying in a motor vehicle crash (one in 103). NSC unveiled the analysis on Injury Facts – the definitive resource for data around unintentional, preventable injuries, commonly known as “accidents.”

Chronic pain we know about too well. The opioid onslaught has taught us that. The pressure to work through pain is real, particularly in industries with a macho ethos such as construction and oil and gas. But step back and look at a larger picture — chronic diseases — and the untold millions of adults who work through a chronic illness.

Life expectancy in the U.S. has declined over the past few years, largely due to drug overdose deaths and suicides, according to a troubling new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Drug overdose deaths set a new record in 2017 by jumping 9.6 percent, to more than 70,000 fatalities. Suicide rates rose by 3.7 percent, continuing a trend that has seen suicides increase from 10.4 suicides per 100,000 in 1999 to 14 (per 100,000) in 2017.

Although numerous reports attribute fentanyl overdose deaths to illegally manufactured versions of the drug, new research shows that pharmaceutical fentanyl may be playing a significant role in the opioid crisis. The study, presented this week at the American Public Health Association’s 2018 Annual Meeting and Expo found that 44 percent of people who died from fentanyl overdose had previously been prescribed fentanyl by a medical professional.

The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA®) and OSHAhave renewed a partnership aimed at fostering safer and more healthful American workplaces. Through the alliance, the two organizations will pursue the following national priorities, among others: young worker health and safety; temporary workers; workplace hazards within emerging industries; disaster preparedness, response and recovery; and opioids in the workplace.

Firefighters sue over hazmat exposure, the workplace hazards posed by prescription drug use and the key to achieving a work-life balance were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

Legislation to reverse the opioid epidemic, a driverless schoolbus gets a company in trouble and highlights of the NSC Congress & Expo were among the stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

Opioids are “the worst drug crisis in U.S. history,” said Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council, on Monday. “Employers are on the front lines,” she said. “Today we face an everyday killer, one many employers never expected, and one that can no longer be ignored. More than 75 percent pf people who struggle with addiction are in the workforce.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) joined NSC President and CEO, Deborah Hersman, for a press unveiling of the Prescribed to Death opioid memorial on Monday at the National Safety Council Congress & Expo in Houston. The memorial has been touring the country since last November, stopping in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Buffalo, N.Y., Fayetteville Ark., and Washington, D.C., where it sat on the South Lawn of the White House.

Employers’ responsibilities regarding their workers’ mental health, the FDA bans cancer-causing food chemicals and the NTSB issues preliminary information on the investigation into the recent massive natural gas blast explosions in Massachusetts. These were among the stories featured on ISHN.com this week.