Men experience the highest rates of opioid overdoses in Canada, with trade workers more impacted by substance use and addiction than other fields of work, according to the Government of Canada website.
Level Up is a digital tool designed by Digital Public Square (DPS) to raise awareness about opioid and substance-related harms affecting workers in labour-intensive industries, including construction. The tool is accessible by visiting levelupcanada.com on a phone, tablet or computer.
“We are living in a digital age where people are using technology to share or exchange information,” said Effie Argyropoulos, project lead, DPS. “By providing people with the opportunity to explore information on their own terms and in a privacy-protected way, we are hoping to overcome the barriers that stigma can often raise around this issue.”
Level Up touches on steps people can take to reduce the likelihood of harm if they are using opioids or other substances and points to the benefits of keeping a Naloxone kit on hand in the event of an emergency, learning how to operate it and how to get one for free from a local pharmacy. Naloxone can be used to temporarily reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.
“Level Up signposts people to support resources, including mental health, harm reduction and withdrawal management services, as well as crisis support services and interventions, such as Naloxone,” said Argyropoulos. “Our goal is to reduce barriers to accessing resources and/or support services.”
Integral to the development of the Level Up program has been the involvement of people with lived and living experience of substance use, especially those with a background in the trades.
“(DPS) conducted extensive primary research, including a 700-person survey with labour-intensive workers in Canada in September 2023, and a series of four focus groups with labour-intensive workers across British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario,” said Argyropoulos. “Based on these insights and feedback, DPS identified priority topic areas. DPS is deeply invested in improving and expanding the information offered through Level Up over time as new needs emerge, and we hope to expand to provide resources relevant to other provinces and territories in Canada.”
The DPS research revealed several factors that put construction workers at disproportionate risk for opioid and substance harm. These include the physical demands of their work, high injury rates and associated chronic pain management, as well as a high-stress work environment coupled with cultural norms around powering through pain, stigma and, at times, a lack of employer support. Significant housing shortages, building booms, growing populations and shortages of skilled trades workers are all factors that put additional pressure on labourers.
“Level Up is designed to be helpful for people looking to access support, whether for themselves or someone they know,” said Argyropoulos. “For example, if someone is worried about a colleague, the tool provides tips on how to speak with co-workers and signposts to resources such as the provincial alcohol and drug referral service.”
Argyropoulos says that by partnering with DPS to distribute Level Up, companies can take pride in knowing that they are contributing to the health and safety of their workforce. “We recommend Level Up to anyone who works in or knows someone who works in a labour-intensive industry in Canada,” said Argyropoulos.
“Our research has found that employers can be vital, trusted sources of information and have an important role to play in reducing opioid harms affecting men in labour-intensive industries. The benefits of Level Up are two-fold: it provides individuals with information about the growing issue of substance and opioid-related harms and raises their awareness of available support in their communities.”
When an organization distributes a Level Up link or QR code to its network, it can collect privacy-protected, aggregate data on its workforce’s perspective on the issue and likelihood of accessing support, says Argyropoulos. “These aggregate insights can support organizations to modify their strategic direction for things like training, health promotion, and service/support provision, all while ensuring the privacy of the people engaging with Level Up is not compromised,” said Argyropoulos.
“In the development of Level Up, we created a service directory of available harm reduction and withdrawal management services in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. This novel feature serves as an information hub for users to consult if they, or someone they know, requires access to more complex support and doesn’t know where to start.”
DPS has worked closely with the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association and the Laborers’ International Union of North America to develop and promote Level Up. “The tool is publicly accessible and available for companies and organizations to use at no cost,” said Argyropoulos. “We’re able to provide interested organizations with unique links to the tool, as well as communications materials like QR code posters, stickers, newsletter copy, social media content and graphics to support any communications about the tool. We are seeing a lot of enthusiasm from health and safety organizations and trade unions in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.”
DPS is a non-profit organization based in Toronto, Ont., experienced in designing digital tools that support access to information on a range of health and human rights issues. The Level Up project was awarded funding through Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program and has been available since May, with its newest iteration released in August. It is easily accessible, even in low connectivity environments, and delivers concise, short and powerful information.
“Our mission at (DPS) is to transform community engagement for the digital era,” said Argyropoulos. “Level Up is one of the tools we have created by leveraging our expertise around digital and community engagement to raise awareness about opioid harms and signpost to available resources. By making people aware of how to reduce harms associated with opioid and substance use, and providing them a directory to access services that can help with more complex needs, Level Up has the potential to benefit individuals, as well as those around them.”
Companies or organizations interested in rolling out the tool as a training resource and gaining access to aggregate data insights unique to their networks can contact DPS by email at levelup@digitalpublicsquare.org. Individuals can access the tool through participating employers, labour unions or health and safety associations. It is also being distributed on social media channels, such as Facebook, Instagram and Reddit.
“We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with any interested stakeholders working in this space,” says Argyropoulos. “Our team is constantly looking for new partners to help amplify our efforts. DPS is mindful of the changing demographic landscape of the labour-intensive workforce in Canada, particularly as the country faces shortages of skilled trades workers. We welcome any insights or suggestions from industry stakeholders that feel they could benefit from modifications to the tool, including making it accessible in languages other than English and French.”
Stakeholders from the construction industry interested in discussing potential collaboration opportunities regarding Level Up can email effie@digitalpublicsquare.org.