At-risk employers will now be required to have a naloxone kit on hand at the workplace and train its workers.
The province announced the news on Thursday.
Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Monte McNaughton, who is also Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, says from worksites to nightclubs, requiring naloxone kits in at-risk businesses will help increase awareness for opioid addiction, reduce the stigma, and save lives.
As of April, more than 1,000 free nasal spray naloxone kits have been distributed to businesses around the province through Ontario’s Workplace Naloxone Program, while businesses may also obtain their own kits. In 2022, over 2,500 people died from opioid-related causes in Ontario.
Protection from liability available under the Good Samaritan Act would generally apply to a person who voluntarily administers naloxone at a workplace in response to an opioid overdose. Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development’s inspectors will be taking an education-first approach to enforcement.
