Thanks in part to a drastic increase in prescription narcotic abuse among the public, drug use on the job has also increased — and with alarming effects for employers. The following infographic, courtesy of Compliance and Safety, illustrates the magnitude of the problem.
The infographic goes even further by breaking down drug use by industry and company size.
Employers have options, however, including:
- The government-funded Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which offers resources on maintaining a drug-free workplace.
- The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) offers information on the effects of drug abuse and how to initiate prevention and treatment measures.
- The United States Department of Labor’s “drug-free workplace policy builder” helps organizations develop a customized drug-free workplace policy statement.
- EmploymentDrugTesting.com offers information and services regarding employee drug testing.
Emily Holbrook is co-editor of Risk Management Monitor and editor of Risk Management magazine, where she has worked since 2008. You can read more of her writings at EmilyHolbrook.com. You can follow her on Twitter @RiskMgmtMonitor.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes, the war on drugs costs way too much; it even bleeds over for businesses maintaining a workforce. Can we please educate people instead of incarcerating them? Clearly incarceration hasn’t worked these last 40 years.
What is your point exactly? I have employees I know use, but are not abusers. I run a tight ship keeping everyone responsible at work. I actually have far less problems with them, they are better than several of my ‘normal’ employees. People seem to assume if you use a drug you are an addict who is out of control; that simply isn’t the case. Instead of throwing money at the problem, like your graphic describes as occurring; why don’t we do as the comment above says and educate people?
Is there actually a correlation between drug abuse workers with their performance? It might be more interesting and focus.
Thanks for your comment Panji. The complete infographic, which you can find by clicking on the link in the first paragraph, shows that workers who abuse drugs are more likely to miss more days of work. It states that employees who abuse drugs are “1/3 more ineffective than sober employees.”
Response to Mark, the infographic wasn’t suggesting that businesses throw money at the ‘war on drugs’, nor that people should be incarcerated. The full infographic suggests that companies implement drug screening policies into their application process.
I think the infographic highlights the huge impact of drug and substance abuse. The saying goes that prevention is better than cure. With the analysis, individuals and companies can be better guided in their decision making.