The fishing industry is setting a new standard for recovery-supportive workplaces. By addressing the unique challenges of their field and embracing policies that support employees in recovery, this field is making significant progress in redefining workplace wellness and setting a powerful example for other sectors that are high-risk for overdose. In a recent article in the New York Times Magazine called The Mayday Call: How One Death At Sea Transformed a Fishing Fleet, journalist CJ Chivers dives deep into the impact of opioid-related overdoses on the fishing industry. The stories profiled bring to life a recent report from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health that highlights stark data showing patterns in overdose death by industry, occupation, and other work-related factors, highlighting fishing as among the most at risk. It makes sense then, for an industry that is too often losing people to the disease of addiction, to help pave a pathway for how workplaces can better support people in recovery.
Through the BeHERE Initiative, HRiA has built a strong relationship with The Fishing Partnership, whose work is highlighted in the article and whose impact is being felt in fishing fleets across the Northeast. Since 2016, the Partnership’s opioid-education and Narcan-distribution program has trained about 2,500 people in the industry from Maine to North Carolina; mostly in the last few years. Under the leadership of Deb Kelsey, fleets that have been trained by The Fishing Partnership are beginning to see changes in understanding the role of the workplaces – the boat, in this case – in harm reduction. As we read the article, a story that stuck with us was the transformation of the boat The Jersey Pride. Under new ownership, and after the trauma of losing a fisherman to overdose on board, the management acknowledged the role of the company in creating a work environment that is physically safe. They made several investments into the boat’s mechanical elements to help prevent injury on board. And, after a fisherman fell asleep on the job while getting high, the boat’s owners supported him by helping him find a bed at a rehab facility, gave him time to attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings after finishing at the facility, and held his job for when he was healthy enough to return. While they weren’t named as such in the article, these are core elements of a Recovery-Supportive Workplace. The boat’s owners recognized the value of the person and knew that a safe and steady work environment was key to his recovery and wellbeing.
One life saving strategy that complements the administration of Narcan but was not explored in the New York Times Magazine article, is rescue breathing. Rescue breathing is a core harm reduction strategy that saves lives by maintaining oxygen flow to the brain and vital organs in an overdose situation. This technique is highlighted further in HRiA’s You Can Save a Life initiative at youcan.info. Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration through the MA Department of Public Health, the You Can suite of resources is designed to build community-wide capacity to reduce deaths from overdose. Through a series of skill-building and storytelling videos, You Can focuses on disseminating these key messages and skills:
- Anyone can save a life by knowing the signs of an overdose and how to respond, and
- Rescue breathing is a free and critical part of responding to an overdose.
We’d like to thank our friends at The Fishing Partnership for their incredible work and invite you to join us by taking action:
- Engage with the harm reduction resources on the You Can website.
- Order rescue breathing masks and other You Can materials on the MA Health Promotion Clearinghouse website.
- Get free training on overdose rescue by the BeHERE Training team.
- Learn where you can get Narcan in your area.
- Call on all employers to help create a work environment that helps to remove the stigma around substance use.