Education and outreach are becoming major parts of establishing a more effective program to keep drug abuse out of the workplace.

In August 1991, a Manhattan subway accident killed five people and injured 170 others. Investigators discovered a vial of crack cocaine in the motorman’s cab, but no motorman. He was caught later, drunk.

The incident brought support for random drug and alcohol testing from transit authorities as well as unions. Last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) added alcohol testing to its requirements. Though many businesses now fall under the DOT regulations and most others have voluntary testing, substance abuse at work persists. Companies are discovering they must do more than weed out abusers with testing; they must also educate the majority nonabusers in the workforce to help manage the problem.

Managing the problem

A good way to begin dealing with a drug abuse problem is to give employees the resources to control their environment and claim ownership of the policy on no drug abuse. Companies are finding that effective workplace programs to prevent drug abuse have front-end support of company leaders such as union representatives, influential supervisors, and other respected employees. These leaders can be key contributors to discussions and decisions about the program, and their involvement encourages support from the rest of the workforce. At Pennsylvania Precision Cast Parts, a steel producer in Lebanon, Pa., the company’s president, Richard Miller, sought input through preliminary discussions with key hourly and management employees. “I got opinions from my staff first. That group went directly to the shop floor and talked to a sampling of employees whom they knew would respond honestly about their feelings,” Miller says.

The discussions revealed that a majority of people wanted a drug-testing and employee assistance program. According to Miller, employees welcomed the idea of random drug tests to ensure “their own safety” and to keep from being exposed to impaired employees. Because workers produce molten steel at temperatures of 3,000 degrees and transport it by forklift, even a slight impairment could create tragic circumstances.

The next step was to establish goals and procedures for putting the policies in place. Decision makers focused on three objectives: identifying drug abusers, providing rehabilitation and educating the workforce to prevent drug abuse. A crucial decision was made to go ahead with the policy–not to simply try it–and to manage any ensuing conflict with honest communication.

Keeping it simple

Nalco Chemical Co. in Naperville, Ill., provides its 6,700 employees a clear policy on substance abuse. According to Ellen De Lordo, manager of employee relations, the policy is that the “use, possession and distribution in the workplace will not be tolerated and is absolutely, strictly prohibited.” The company’s drug-free workplace program combines random testing with manager/supervisor training and drug awareness sessions for employees.

De Lordo says it’s particularly important to address employees’ personal concerns about safety and job security, because employees deserve to know the facts about how substance abuse puts the workforce at risk. In the drug awareness sessions, employees learn about the physiological and psychological impact of drugs and alcohol. Newsletters, handouts and reports also inform them that alcohol and drug abusers cost American business billions of dollars a year–costs that all employees bear if companies must close or lay off workers. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, at least 66 percent of the nation’s illicit drug users are employed. Studies show abusers are late to work three times more often than nonabusers, ask for time off at least twice as often, are absent two and one-half times as often or at least eight days, use three times the average amount of health-care benefits, file five times as many workers’ compensation claims, and have accidents more than three and one-half times as often.

Substance abuse also damages America’s competitive position worldwide. Our nation’s businesses are competing overseas where the competition has a much lower incidence of drug abuse. The United States has only six percent of the world’s population, but consumes 60 percent of the world’s illegal drug supply. Moving into the home

One company has taken its drug-free efforts beyond the workplace and into employees’ homes. At Champion International Corp., a pulp and paper manufacturing company in Roanoke Rapids, N.C., any of the 711 employees may participate in classes on parenting to help them manage the threat of drug abuse in their families. The company offers workshops during the lunch break and in the evening.

According to program coordinator Heather Caillet, the training enables employees to take control of drug abuse prevention at home and to help the community create an environment free of drug abuse. When employees have taken steps to ensure their family’s safety and well-being, they gain confidence. The new information and skills helps them to actively support drug policies and testing at work and to confront substance abuse instead of ignoring it.