Drug and Alcohol Abuse in the Workplace

The importance of minimizing drug abuse in the workplace is difficult to understate. Analysts estimate that drug abuse of illegal drugs (not including alcohol) is common in between 10 to 23 percent of all employees. These employees are subject to more accidents as a result of their abuse; these accidents, in turn, can result in injury or death to the abuser, and substantial material loss to the employer in question. In addition to these losses which are attributable directly to drug abuse, these employees also take an additional toll in the form of increased absences, higher insurance costs (due to increased use of the health care system), lower productivity and employee theft. The total cost to the nation's economy is estimated to be in the billions (Ligos 80).

There are two common strategies that businesses and other employers can use to counteract drug abuse. The first strategy involves working with current employees to eliminate the addiction. In this case, a once prod

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nction of record keeping and analysis that most employers and the public as a whole expects from the government with regard to drug abuse. However, there is another area of assistance that the public expects from the government, and that is in providing resources to deal with the problem. Historically, drug abuse has been dealt with through interdiction: abusers are arrested when a law is violated, such as the possession of illegal substances, or operating a motor vehicle while legally intoxicated. For companies who seek to rehabilitate their employees, however, the government can be seen as providing access to other resources designed to stop drug abuse before it becomes a legal problem. Employers who are developing strategies for coping with workplace drug abuse typically begin by evaluating their own expertise in the area. This expertise can include the company's medical, industrial health, safety, human resources and related departments, as well as available resources, such as office space and clerical staff to handle an internal resource. An employee assistance program (EAP), usually found in larger organizations, can help employers determine whether they have the resources to establish an ongoing internal program, or
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Approximate Word count = 1602
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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