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What Works: Workplaces Without Alcohol and Other Drugs

NCJ Number
157383
Date Published
1991
Length
71 pages
Annotation
This report suggests ways that executives, supervisors, employee representatives, and workers can contribute to ridding the workplace of substance abuse; examples of effective workplace substance-abuse policies and employee assistance programs are included.
Abstract
In discussing the prevalence and consequences of substance abuse by employees, the report notes that approximately 68 percent of all illegal drug users are employed either full-time or part-time. The consequences of drug abuse for employers and employees are impaired productivity, more absenteeism, greater risk of injury on the job, and more workers' compensation claims. A business can take certain steps to determine whether or not it has a substance-abuse problem or the potential for developing one. These steps include the identification of organizational indicators of substandard performance, consultation with managers and employee representatives, and a review of statistics collected by substance-abuse agencies. Because substance abuse tends to be a hidden problem, many organizations have decided to proceed on the assumption that there are individuals in the workplace who have or are developing a problem with alcohol or other drugs. This report recommends and outlines a five-part program that consists of a written substance-abuse policy, an employee education and awareness program, a supervisor training program, an employee assistance program, and drug testing as appropriate. The appendixes provide models of workplace substance-abuse policies and employee assistance programs, a discussion of legal issues pertinent to drug testing, drug fact sheets, and a list of 12 resources for technical assistance on workplace substance-abuse programs.