Opioid epidemic On-the-job injuries are common in construction, and many workers begin their addiction with a prescription intended to help get them back to work. (Image: Shutterstock)

PORTLAND, Ore. — Jimmy Sullivan prepared for his job as a bricklayer the same way every morning for years: injecting a shot of heroin before leaving his car.

The first time he overdosed on the job, in 2013 at a Virginia construction site, a co-worker who is his cousin stealthily injected a dose of Narcan, an opioid antidote, into Sullivan's leg. He woke up and went straight back to work.

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