Wall Street Journalさんのインスタグラム写真 - (Wall Street JournalInstagram)「Pittsburgh area construction superintendent Mark St. Cyr often sees telltale signs of opioid use among workers at his sites. The 57-year-old, who is in recovery from his own opioid addiction, is quick to notice users’ pinprick eyes and their jaundiced skin.⠀ ⠀ Opioid use has jumped across North America during the Covid-19 pandemic. The construction industry, already facing a shortage of manual labor, has been hit particularly hard. Bricklayers, carpenters and laborers carry heavy loads and perform the same tasks day in and day out, leading to injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome, strained shoulders and bad backs. Seeking relief, workers can get hooked on strong prescription drugs such as fentanyl, oxycodone and morphine, and street drugs like heroin.⠀ ⠀ While the precise number of overdose deaths in the North American construction industry is hard to determine, the workers are roughly six times more likely than workers in other manufacturing, industrial and service industries to become addicted to opioids, according to a 2019 report.⠀ ⠀ “There are higher levels of pain in construction than in other industries,” said Vicky Waldron, executive director for the Vancouver-based Construction Industry Rehabilitation Plan, a nonprofit set up by labor unions and construction companies for drug treatment.⠀ ⠀ Those unable to work because of the Covid lockdowns are especially vulnerable, Waldron said. In April, early in the pandemic, her nonprofit saw a 47% increase in calls from distressed users, while the number of workers currently registered in the program is at the highest levels in at least four years, she said.⠀ ⠀ 📷: @justinmerriman for @wsjphotos」1月11日 11時02分