In conversation with Rory Kumala, CEO of the Vancouver Island Construction Association, on the organization’s Tailgate Toolkit program, which is designed to provide education and training on issues regarding substance use, mental health, and pain management.
In addition to providing resources for workers, Kumala says addressing these issues with employers is part of the path forward.
“We can coach the employer say, ‘yeah, that person has a problem. But if they had a problem with diabetes and they couldn’t come to work…’ We’re now treating mental illness and dependency as a recognized illness, and employers need to understand that there is a way to treat it. There is a way to help our workers get through it, ultimately to keep them safe and certainly keep everybody else safe.”
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