Are drugs and alcohol an issue in your workplace? Consider this:

• 66% of full-time working Americans state that they engage in heavy drinking. Heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming five or more drinks per sitting on at least five of the past 30 days. For part-time employees, this number is just 4.9%.
• At least 40% of all work-related fatalities have been linked to either alcohol consumption or to alcoholism.
• Nearly one half of all work-related injuries can be traced back to alcohol.
• 60% of all alcohol-related work performance problems are attributable to employees who occasionally drink too much on a work night or drink during a lunch break. These employees are not considered to be either alcoholics or alcohol dependent.
• 21% of workers state that at some point they feel they have been injured, placed into personal danger, re-doing work, needing to work harder, or having to cover for another worker as a direct result of another employee’s drinking.
• The highest rates of illicit drug use are reported in the field of construction, food preparation and waiters/waitresses.
• Heavy alcohol use is typically found in such professions as auto mechanics, vehicle repairers, light truck drivers and general laborers.
• Absenteeism among those with drinking problems is up to 8.3 times greater than the average rate.
• Employees who frequently use illicit drugs take three times as many sick benefits as the average worker and are five times more likely to file a workers’ compensation claim against their employer.
• 75% of assembly line workers, electricians and machinists surveyed at one manufacturing plant stated that it was “easy for them to drink at their work stations”.

Regardless of what you think the situation is at your workplace, these facts show that, more likely than not, drugs and alcohol are having an adverse effect on your business. This is why employee drug testing is an important business and safety tool.

The first step in implementing an employee drug testing policy is to evaluate and determine what your company’s exact drug testing needs are. To do this, start by asking what your business’ drug abuse risk is. For example, if there has been a decrease in productivity or an increase in accidents, you should focus your employee drug testing protocol on remedying these problems.

The next step is to hire a professional to conduct your employee drug testing. Using a qualified professional is highly recommended as usually employee drug testing is only valid if performed by a medical professional. A professional drug testing company will ensure you get the results you need by working with qualified testing labs and medical review professionals. Using a nationwide network of OSHA, ODAT and NODA compliant drug testing labs, a national network of collection sites, and pre-employment physical examinations, a professional employee drug testing company will get you the employee drug testing information and services you need to ensure you operate a drug free and safe workplace.

Facts taken from The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. See www.ncadd.org

Tags: alcohol, drinking, drug, Drug Testing, drugs, employee, employee drug, employees, heavy drinking, professional, testing, testing labs, work, workplace