Last week, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) debuted a fact sheet to help employers and workers rapidly respond to opioid-related overdose emergencies in the workplace.

OSHA’s new guidance, “Opioid Overdose Rescue with Reversal Medications,” is part of the Great American Recovery Initiative, a government-wide effort by the Trump Administration prioritizing addiction treatment and recovery. The fact sheet provides practical information that focuses on empowering workplaces to recognize the signs of an overdose and act immediately.

“Because fentanyl has infiltrated the illicit drug landscape and acts as a chemical weapon against our people, it is critically important that the American workforce is familiar with drug overdose recognition and reversal,” said White House Drug Czar Sara Carter.

OSHA’s fact sheet highlights key opioid overdose preparedness strategies, including:

• Keep lifesaving Food and Drug Administration-approved reversal medications, such as naloxone or nalmefene, on hand. These life-saving medications quickly restore normal breathing and generally have no effect if opioids are not present.
• Treat overdose kits like first aid by storing them in highly visible, easily accessible locations, like you would with automated external defibrillators or standard first-aid kits.
• Educate workers on how to identify critical symptoms of an overdose, such as slow or stopped breathing, blue lips or skin, pinpoint pupils or unresponsiveness.
• Prepare for rapid action in an emergency by training workers to administer the medication, safely position the individual, and provide supportive care while waiting for first responders.

OSHA’s guidance emphasizes that while these medications are critical, they do not replace emergency services. Workplace responders should always call 911 immediately because the medication’s effects are temporary and professional medical care is still required.

The ISSA VEO Conference opens today in Dallas, bringing business owners, supervisors and facility service leaders together for two days of education, networking and recognition built around a single goal: strengthening Hispanic leadership across the cleaning and facility solutions industry.

VEO stands for Visión, Empeño y Oportunidad—vision, drive and opportunity. ISSA, The association for cleaning and facility solutions, describes the initiative less as a single event than as a year-round platform for connection and leadership, one that runs bilingual webinars and training throughout the year and builds toward a conference each fall.

Hispanic workers make up a large share of the front-line labor force in commercial cleaning and facility services, yet their representation in ownership, supervisory and executive ranks has historically lagged. VEO organizers built the platform to close that gap, pairing recognition of existing Hispanic-owned businesses with practical education aimed at the next generation of owners and managers.

The agenda splits into a full-conference track and a workshops-only track, closing with a gala Tuesday evening. Full-conference registrants move through sessions on leadership, business growth and workforce development, while workshop attendees focus on hands-on operational training. Both tracks lead into the gala, where VEO recognizes companies and individuals for their contributions to the industry.

Confirmed speakers span the range of the industry VEO serves. Nancy Galvan and Eric Marceleño of Dallas-based Unica Enterprises, who built their company from a night-shift cleaning contract into a multimillion-dollar federal contracting business, both take the stage this week. Victor Lizano of Amazing 360 Commercial Services, whose bilingual academy trains Spanish-speaking cleaning entrepreneurs in everything from technique to bookkeeping, is on the agenda as well. Houston employment attorney Jacob Monty, who has built a national practice advising companies with large Hispanic workforces, and Juan Carlos Cerda, Texas State Director of the American Business Immigration Coalition, bring a policy and compliance lens to the labor questions building service contractors face daily. Additional speakers include Adam Tan-Ceja of Pass Janitorial Service, Amber Reyna of Verde Clean, Brian Johnson of Ashkin Group, Debbie Sardone of Debbie Sardone Consulting and Erin Reilly Porch of Building Sustainable Results.

ISSA carries the platform into November with a dedicated VEO education track at ISSA Show North America in Las Vegas, and year-round through Raise the Standard of Cleaning, a free training course offered in English and Spanish to ISSA members.

The ISSA Media network will cover the conference throughout the week, with reporting on session takeaways, speaker perspectives and the issues raised on stage.