After more than a year of work with multiple organizations, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released “Opioids in the Home Building Industry: Making it Your Business,” a guide of resources aimed at helping residential construction companies address the opioid crisis impacting the industry.

People who work in construction are significantly more likely to become addicted to opioids, like prescription painkillers, than other workers in the general population and are six times more likely to die as a result of overdose, a release from the NAHB states. In addition to the health and well-being of the employee, NAHB officials say the impact on a business can be significant and includes loss of productivity, healthcare expenses, absenteeism, turnover and many more challenges.

“Opioid addiction is our nation’s leading public health crisis, and it affects people across all socioeconomic classes, races, genders and jobs, and the homebuilding industry is no exception,” said NAHB chairman Greg Ugalde, a home builder and developer from Torrington, Conn. “NAHB is pleased to provide resources and possible solutions to this issue affecting so many lives.”

The resources provided by NAHB are the culmination of a year-long effort between NAHB senior leaders, local home builder association leaders, members, staff and officials from the Advocates for Human Potential Inc. The initiative was funded through a grant from the Job-Site Safety Institute (JSI).

“JSI is committed to advancing research and education to help stem the tide of the opioid epidemic’s reach into the home building industry,” said JSI executive director Gary Hill.