Substance abuse in the workplace is on the rise and employers everywhere are looking to control this epidemic. Of the 21.5 million current illicit drug users aged 18 or older in 2012, 14.6 million (67.9 percent) were employed either full or part-time. (1)
The construction industry topped the chart of occupations with the most drug and alcohol related incidence in 2012. Employees that abuse drug and alcohol are more likely to be absent and prone to injury. That being said, it is clear that even your company is at risk. By implementing an employee drug testing policy you will likely gain the following benefits.
1: Decrease Health Care Cost
With soaring healthcare rates, it’s more important than ever to implement solutions that increase your bottom line while keeping your employees fully covered. Employees with alcohol & substance abuse related problems have health care costs that are double those of their peers (3). It’s simple, the healthier your employees are, the less you as an employer will have to pay in health care rates. Pre employment and random drug screening should be performed in order to catch unhealthy behavior before it becomes your problem.
2: Increase Productivity and Absenteeism
Research shows that excessive drinking outside normal working hours adversely affects productivity at work. (4) We all know that after a long night of drinking it’s nearly impossible to wake up and perform well at work. The sad fact is that it happens more than we think! Among the 16.7 million adults who were heavy drinkers, 12.5 million (74.7 percent) were employed. (1) Your productivity output as a company is only as strong as your weakest link. Implementing a random drug and alcohol screening policy will drastically reduce your rate of employees being hung over and absent. When employees know there is a possibility of being drug & alcohol tested they will think twice before partying the night before work.
3: Less employee turnover
Training employees takes time and costs money, you don’t want to waste either on an employee with a drug or alcohol problem. Individuals with drug or alcohol problems are more likely than non-substance abusers to report having worked for three or more employers in the previous year. (5) Pre-screening an employee with an instant “on-site” drug & alcohol test will save you time and money in the long run.
4: Reduce workplace injuries and violence
A major effect of using drugs and alcohol is decreased perception and coordination. If your employee uses these substances while on the job, it puts your company in serious risk of accidental injury. Employees who abuse alcohol or drugs are three and a half times more likely to be involved in a workplace accident than other workers. (5) The 10 panel drug test will screen for a wide variety of substances to make sure your employees aren’t a liability waiting to happen. A mouth swab drug test will work best for post accident drug testing when you’re out on the site.
The fact is, by not implementing a drug-testing program you could actually cost your business more money in the long-term and cause a loss of profits, clients and productivity. Call Ammon Analytical Laboratory today to set up an employee drug & alcohol-testing program for your company!
Citations
2 U .S . Department of Health and Human Services . Results from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: national findings . Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies; 2008 . NSDUH Series H-34, DHHS Publication No . SMA 08-4343 .
3. Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Brandeis University . Substance Abuse, The Nation’s Number One Health Problem . Princeton, NJ: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; 2001 .
4. Ragland DR, Krause N, Greiner BA, et al . Alcohol consumption and incidence of workers’ compensation claims: A 5-year prospective study of urban transit operators . Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research . 2002;26;1388-94 .
5 U .S . Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration . 14 short employer cost savings briefs . Available at: http://ncadistore.samhsa.gov/catalog/productDetails.aspx?ProductID=17943 . Accessed January 26, 2009 .
Author: Evan Haupt
Ammon Analytical Laboratory 