The Effects of Drug Use in The Workplace
Does Your Company
Have a Problem?
Should You Be Drug Testing Your
Employee's "We don't have a drug
problem - these employees are like family to us: they'd never do 'that' to us.
Besides, even if we have a problem, we can't afford to lose any employees in
this tight labor market."
This might be what you think when someone
tries to talk to you about employee drug testing. Other thoughts might
be:
"Its too expensive"
"What are the legal issues"?
"How do I know if
I have a problem"?
"Where would I begin"?
"Why should I care what people
do on their own time"?
Statistics show that 70% of drug users are
employed, 23% use drugs on the job and 60% of workers who use drugs are
employed by small businesses. Drug users target small businesses because they
know the likelihood of being drug tested is small. Labor statistics indicate
that only 3% of small businesses have drug-testing programs, and only 12% have
a formal policy. As a comparison, 46% of companies with 250 or more employees
have drug testing and 74% have formal policies. In the State of Oregon there
has been a 43% increase Statewide and a 53.4% increase in Multnomah County in
the positive rate of workplace drug testing since 1993.
According to a
study released in 1996 by the federal government, workers from a variety of
industries reported the following levels of substance abuse.
| INDUSTRY |
Current Use% |
Past year use % |
Heavy Alcohol Current Use % |
| Agriculture |
3.6 |
11.8 |
5.4 |
| Business
& Repair Services |
11.1 |
19.8 |
9.7 |
| Construction |
12.2 |
20.6 |
13.4 |
| Finance,
Insurance, Real Estate |
5.4 |
14.6 |
4.5 |
| Manufacturing (Non-Durable Goods) |
7.2 |
15.2 |
7 |
| Manufacturing (Durable Goods) |
6.7 |
14.8 |
7.7 |
| Mining |
9.3 |
12.9 |
7.7 |
| Personal
Services |
10.3 |
19.3 |
5.8 |
| Professional & Related Services |
4.2 |
11.05 |
3.1 |
| Public
Administration |
3.7 |
8.8 |
7.2 |
| Retail
Trade |
10.8 |
19.7 |
8.8 |
| Transportation |
5.2 |
13.2 |
7.5 |
| Wholesale
Trade |
8 |
15.5 |
10.3 |
Drug and alcohol use costs
employers between $75 to $100 billion dollars a year in lost productivity,
higher health care costs and high turn over. This is attributed to the fact
that people who use drugs and alcohol have a 66% higher absenteeism rate, they
utilize health benefits 84% more, they are 20% more likely to be injured on the
job and cause more accidents, and disciplinary actions are 90% higher. In a
company with 10 employees, just 1 employee with an alcohol or drug problem con
be devastating to the productivity and profits.
By establishing a drug
free workplace policy and implementing drug testing you can expect to lower
these loses and increase your profits. These savings come from lower
absenteeism, increased productivity, reduced workers' compensation filings, as
well as fewer accidents.
There are six components to implementing a drug
free workplace:
- A workplace policy that
outlines your company's position and regulates how alcohol and other drug
problems will be addressed by your company
- Policy application training
for supervisors
- Employee education and
awareness programs
- Employee Assistance Programs
and other referral services
- Drug testing, when
appropriate
- Community
involvement
What would you do if you
suspected or found out an employee was using drugs either on or off the job.
Wouldn't you rather have a policy and plan in place before this happens? It may
sound overwhelming, but it is really quite simple and painless as well
affordable. Gresham Urgent Care can help you implement a drug free workplace
program including help with policy development, employee awareness, supervisor
training and drug testing.
Please contact
the Occupational Medicine Department at 503-924-1388 to
get more information and to make your business a drug free
workplace. |
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