HARRISBURG, Pa. — Thursday, the Department of Labor & Industry, Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s Health and Safety Division announced that it will offer a free employer webinar to help combat opioid addiction in the workplace.

For its newest offering, PATHS collaborated with Drug Free Workplace PA and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Prevention to create the webinar, “Opioid Addiction,” which focuses on the effects of opioids in the workplace.

Webinar topics include an overview of opioids, what they are and which are most commonly prescribed; addiction and how it begins; signs of addiction; and what employers and physicians can do to help those affected by opioid addiction.

“When it became more and more evident that opioid-related deaths and opioid abuse were at crisis levels and growing in the state, Governor Wolf turned his attention and that of the legislature to aggressively fight the crisis,” said Labor & Industry Secretary Kathy Manderino. “It’s a fight that continues, and Labor & Industry has stepped up to create new employer health and safety training programs that will help in the fight against opioid and other drug and alcohol abuse as it affects the workplace.”

he webinar is offered both as a self-guided presentation online at PATHS or as a guided presentation, 1:30 p.m., April 4 and 9:30 a.m., May 16 at www.dli.pa.gov/PATHS.

For those who wish to provide the webinar training in their workplace, the online presentation materials include a PowerPoint, fact sheets, curriculum outline, and a quiz.

There is no limit on the number of participants in the webinar, which is offered at no charge.

PATHS is a no-fee, statewide service to provide employers and employees with easy access to cost-effective health and safety resources. Services provided by PATHS enable participants in the workers’ compensation system to achieve greater efficiencies in their workers’ compensation cost-containment efforts by creating safer, healthier, accident-free workplaces.

Visit PATHS’ web pages for a full list of available PATHS webinars and resources.