Fewer California workers were dying on the job. Then fentanyl took a devastating toll

As the nation continues to struggle with an opioid crisis now supercharged by fentanyl, overdoses have become one of the leading causes of workplace deaths. 

California is no different: Workplace overdose deaths have risen so dramatically that in 2021 and 2022, they caused more fatalities than falls at construction sites or being hit by machinery, and in 2022 were second only to car crashes and other transportation incidents.