From an employer’s prospective, it’s unfortunate that people who abuse drugs don’t wear t-shirts saying “I’m a liability!” to their job interviews or announce “I may use sick leave irresponsibly!’’ Instead, employers have to trust that employees are making good decisions in their personal lives and bringing focus and reliability to the job, whether they’re driving dump trucks or operating nail guns.
According to OSHA, “[o]f the 17.2 million illicit drug users aged 18 or older in 2005, 74.8 percent were employed either full or part time.” Industries with the highest rates of drug use are the same as those at a high risk for occupational injuries, such as construction, mining, manufacturing and wholesale. Fortunately, there are ways to ensure your employees are safe on the job, and that they’re keeping the public safe, as well.
In order to avoid impairment by drug or alcohol on the job, companies both small and large can implement a program to identify employees with substance abuse challenges and provide resources for addressing those challenges. A comprehensive drug-free workforce approach includes five components:
- Creating a policy
- Providing supervisor training
- Committing to employee education
- Offering access to employee assistance
- Implementing drug testing
For small business owners, the risks of not having a formal substance abuse policy are greater, as a single incident caused by an impaired employee can be financially devastating. Evidence suggests that employees with abuse problems seek work in small businesses that don’t have drug-free workplace policies. However, small businesses have enormous power to effect positive change with the implementation of drug-free workplace programs. By contracting with an outside provider that can offer a variety of services, small businesses can minimize the expense of ensuring employee safety and compliance, in addition to offering guidance on protecting employee privacy. Dr. James Nelson, Medical Director of Occupational Medicine services at The Center says “with good guidance and a professional Occupational Medicine partner, Central Oregon businesses large and small can increase safety, reduce costs and support the health of their workforce.”
According to a study published in The Journal of Global Drug Policy and Practice, of human resource professionals asked about their companies’ drug testing programs, one fifth perceived an increase of employee productivity after implementation of a drug testing program, there was a 56 percent improvement in high absenteeism rates, and a drop from 14 percent to 6 percent in workers’ compensation incidence rates. This was an initial pilot study which requires further substantiation, but the numbers certainly suggest an overall improvement in workplace safety and efficiency with the enforcement of a drug-free workplace policy.
Betsy Skovberg of Pepsi-Cola Company of Bend, which contracts Occupational Medicine services with The Center, says “we wholly support drug testing in the workplace. Not only is our company mandated by law to test our DOT drivers, we choose to randomly test non-DOT employees as well.” Like many businesses, Pepsi-Cola of Bend sees many benefits. “It ensures a safer workplace for our employees and safeguards our communities knowing that our employees are not dangerous out on the road and in the trade.”
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