Guidelines for a Drug-Free Workforce
3rd Edition
Background
The abuse of drugs and alcohol is widespread in our society and
affects us all in many ways. It contributes to crime and to the costs of our
already overburdened health care system and financially strapped social welfare
system.
A recent Gallup poll indicates that public concern about the drug
abuse problem remains high. According to the poll, drug abuse rates second only
to violent crime as the issue Americans consider the most serious facing the
nation. Ninety-four percent of the respondents to the poll considered the
problem a "crisis" or "serious." When explicitly asked about several issues,
respondents expressed greater concern about the drug problem than about health
care, the welfare system, the federal budget deficit, public education, societal
moral values, the economy and unemployment.
Although federal, state, and local efforts have begun to show
encouraging results, the problem of drug and alcohol abuse remains a serious
issue. We need to address the drug abuse issue in all segments of our
communities, especially the workplace. The workplace is probably the only
consistent arena where we have our adult population as a captive audience and
can influence their attitudes about drugs and alcohol, provide information and
resources to help them and their family members, and intervene on behalf of
those in need of help.
We know that adult drug users are more likely to be employed than
unemployed. According to the Department of Health and Human Services' 1998
National Household Survey released in August 1999, almost 73 percent of all
adult illicit drug users were employed. Some other statistical highlights from
the survey show that in an average month:
33 million Americans engaged in binge drinking
13.6 million Americans were current users of illicit drugs;
11 million Americans were current users of marijuana;
1.8 million Americans were current users of cocaine;
12 million Americans had five or more drinks per occasion, five or
more times a month.
According to the Department of Labor, the annual cost to American
employers of on-the-job substance abuse is estimated to be one hundred billion
dollars ($100,000,000,000). This figure includes lost productivity, theft,
accidents, and additional health-care costs. Studies reported by the Institute
for a Drug-Free Workplace show:
Of all workplace drug users who test positive, 52 percent are daily
users;
Employees who test postive for drugs were 60 percent more likely to be
responsible for plant accidents, use a third more sick leave, and have many more
unexcused absences;
One national automobile manufacturer reports that drug-using employees
averaged 40 days of sick leave each year, compared with 4.5 days for non-users;
The state of Wisconsin estimates that expenses and losses related to
substance abuse average 25 percent of the salary for each worker affected.
A study conducted from 1987 to 1990 by the U.S. Postal Service
provided conclusive evidence that drug using employees perform poorly compared
to non-using employees. During the study period, the Postal Service hired job
applicants regardless of whether they passed or failed their drug tests. The two
groups of employees (those who failed the drug tests and those who passed) were
then closely monitored. The results indicated that employees who tested positive
for marijuana had 55 percent more industrial accidents than the group of
non-using employees. They also had 85 percent more injuries, a 55 percent
greater discipline rate, and a 78 percent increase in absenteeism. For the
cocaine-positive group, absenteeism was l45 percent higher and there were 85
percent more injuries.
Drug and alcohol abuse is a bottom-line issue for employers, and no
workplace is immune to it. Employers have a vested interest in eliminating the
problem. Recognizing the importance of protecting their bottom lines against
drug and alcohol abuse, employers have begun implementing drug-and-alcohol-free
workplace programs. The impetus for these programs has grown tremendously in the
past few years. They have spread from the federal government and large
corporations to small and medium-sized businesses. In addition, the expansion of
private-sector programs has been driven by several mandates: Department of
Transportation and Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations for those
industries; Department of Defense regulations for their contractors; the
Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, requiring many federal grantees and contractors
to provide drug-free workplaces; and several State Workers' Compensation
insurance incentives.
Details
These guidelines intend to prevent substance abuse among the workforce
and within the workplace, and where a problem may exist--to encourage those who
abuse drugs and/or alcohol to seek help in overcoming their problem. Toward this
end, these guidelines provide a full continuum of substance abuse education,
prevention, intervention and treatment resources and include:
a policy statement;
an employee orientation and drug-awareness education program and
supervisor training;
an employee assistance program, including intervention and treatment
referral components;
information about drug testing;
information about legal issues;
information about compliance with federal and state mandates; and
resources to assist employers in maintaining a drug-and-alcohol-free
workplace.
For the purposes of these guidelines, drug abuse
is defined as "any activity involving illegal drugs, chronic or improper use of
alcohol, and misuse of over-the-counter and prescription medications."
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