CDC Study Finds Construction, Food Service Among Highest in Overdose Rates

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recently released a report finding that members of the construction, and accommodation + food services were some of the top groups disproportionately affected by drug overdoses in 2020.  The report comes as the CDC is in the middle of a major overhaul, ushered in by Director Walensky in December of 2022.  Walensky cites the CDC’s mixed messaging and disjointed response during the COVID-19 pandemic; She has sought to restore public trust in the agency, of which one strategy is the publication of COVID-era data.  The overdose data released follows an overall overdose trend during the pandemic; deaths in 2021 where 50% higher than in 2019.  In the data (Figure 4), it was found that construction workers and workers in the food (and accommodation) service sector where the highest likely to overdose compared to other professions.  The CDC cited “workplace injury, work-related psychosocial stress, precarious employment, employer-provided health insurance status, and access to paid sick leave (5–8)”.  It is unknown at this time whether this trend continued in 2022.