NYC construction workers had most fatal drug OD’s

Construction workers had the greatest number of fatal drug overdoses of any profession in New York City, according to the most recent Health Department data.

A staggering 269 construction workers died from ODs in 2020, the most recent year for the data.

Another 114 workers in food preparation and services died from ODs, as did 94 in sales, the data shows. 

Fatal overdoses were high in office and administrative support, with 83 deaths; transportation, with 77; and material moving, with 75.

Overall, 2,062 people died from drug overdoses in 2020, according to the Health Department. 

Danielle Ompad, an epidemiologist at New York University researching drug addiction, said the high rate of injury in the construction industry and lack of sick pay likely exacerbate workers’ reliance on painkillers. 

“There is kind of an incentive in the construction industry for people to work injured,” she said. “A lot of time there’s no sick leave, especially if they’re not union jobs.” 

One Midtown worked recalled to The Post how one of his colleagues was found dead on the job in a porta potty on a job site — with a needle stuck in his arm.  

“They take pain medicine to get by, and then get hooked,” said Joe Brown, a 35-year-old carpenter.

“There’s also dealing with the pressure of work: being laid off, of not carrying a job, knowing I work this month but not next,” he said, noting the construction industry lost tens of thousands of jobs during the first year of the pandemic.  

Fatal drug overdoses in New York City have surged by at least 96 percent since April 2019, with 2,820 people dying from drug overdoses in the year ending April 2023, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The growing supply of fentanyl has exacerbated the city’s drug epidemic, with the deadly opioid detected in 80% of overdose deaths, according to the Health Department.