According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy,
prescription drugs are the second most abused drug category following
marijuana. People who misuse prescription drugs often have the belief that
prescription drugs are safer than illegal drugs because they are prescribed by
a doctor. Prescription drug abuse is often referred to as the nation’s fastest
growing drug problem. Over the past decade, prescriptions for painkillers rose
from 75.5 million to 209.50 million.
Prescription drug abuse among employees can cause expensive
problems for their business or industry. It is estimated that drug abuse cost
employers $81 billion annually. Drug abuse causes lost productivity,
absenteeism, injuries, fatalities, theft, low employee morale, increase in
insurance costs, legal liabilities and worker compensation fees. Statistics
demonstrate that prescription drug abuse presents a recognized occupational
hazard that is likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Substance abusers are more than three times
more likely to be involved in workplace accidents and five times more likely to
hurt themselves on the job.
More than 75% of all drug users in the US are employed. Over 16% of these employees use illicit drugs
or are heavy alcohol users. Certain
industries have higher rates of substance abuse. Mining and construction top the list with
approximately 28% of employees engaged in illicit drugs or heavy alcohol use,
while workers in professional services and the government have the lowest
rates: just above 9%. An estimated 5% of substance abusers engage in illicit
drug and alcohol use before reporting to work and nearly 10% do so during work
hours. Every industry, from blue collar
to board room executives, is affected by drugs in the workplace. Employees who
are not in typical “safety-sensitive positions," can still have tremendous
negative impact on their company when drug use is an issue. These employees may
have jobs in which they make decisions affecting other workers, have access to
financial records, maintain confidential information or are privy to company
ideas and product plans. In order to
ensure the safety, security and success of your company and its employees,
workplaces must be alcohol and drug-free.
Training programs in the workplace for management and
employees are beneficial in keeping the workplace safe. Traditional drug
testing may not uncover the issue alone, proper training can help employees
identify the signs and symptoms of drug abuse.
SafetySkills offers online safety training courses to help address the
issue of drugs in the workplace. The Drug
Free Workplace course demonstrates the importance of eliminating drugs in
the workplace and what employees can do to help. This course is intended to
assist the employer when meeting the various State and Federal Laws that cover
Drugs in the Workplace. The Substance
Abuse Training for Oil and Gas Supervisors online training course will
train supervisors on the DOT’s requirements for supervisor training under its
drug-free workplace program mandates for safety-sensitive industries. In
addition to illegal and prescription drug abuse, the course also covers the physiological
effects of alcohol and how they are produced, and general physiological and
behavioral characteristics of alcoholism
To learn more about SafetySkills and additional course
offerings, please visit us at SafetySkills.com/
