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Resources available to create awareness on substance use

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has launched a suite of free resources in partnership with the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF-FCA), to help employers in Canada create awareness about substance use and reducing stigma. ­

The online courses Substance Use in the Trades: Being Aware, Harm Reduction and Supporting Your Well-being, aim to help raise awareness about the impacts of stigma, and the importance of a safe and supportive workplace. The courses explore how workplaces can take a harm reduction approach to substance use, what to do if there are concerns about substance use in the workplace, and strategies to improve everyone’s overall well-being.

The Substance Use at Work Info Sheets provide an overview of substance use in the trades, from addressing stigma, to the responsibilities of employers in challenging stigma and reducing impairment, to strategies for supporting tradespeople.

More information about impairment can be found on the CCOHS website.

Quick Facts

• CAF-FCA is a unique, collaborative network that connects the apprenticeship community in all regions of Canada.
• In 2023, the CAF-FCA commissioned a research study called Understanding Substance Use Among Apprentices in the Skilled Trades. The purpose of the study was to better understand the lived experiences of apprentices and tradespeople. Some of the study’s key findings were used in the creation of these free resources.

Associated Links

• Substance Use and the Trades Infographic
• Substance Use in the Workplace Fact Sheet
• Impairment at Work Fact Sheet
• Cannabis and Impairment in the Workplace Infographic
• Opioids in the Workplace Fact Sheet