Drug-Free Work
Place (DFWP) Training
The courts and the public are
holding American employers responsible for the behavior of their
substance-using employees. Not only do alcohol and other drug use
affect profitability of companies, they also affect the health,
safety and productivity of workers.
Consider these statistics:
·
Productivity — Substance users are 33 percent to 50 percent
less productive;
·
Absenteeism — Users are absent an average of three weeks or
more per year and are tardy three times more often than non-users;
·
Accidents — Users are three to four times more likely to have
an accident on the job and five times more likely to file a workers’
compensation claim;
·
Medical claims — Substance users file 300 percent to 400
percent more costly medical claims;
·
Employee theft — It is estimated that 50 to 80 percent of all
pilferage, theft and loss is due to substance-using employees.
LCADA has been
offering DFWP training to Lorain County businesses since 1999 with
state-certified facilitators on our staff.
As far back as
1997, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) introduced an
incentive program designed to help employers establish a safer and
more cost-effective workplace. This voluntary DFWP encourages
employers to detect and deter substance use and misuse, and take
appropriate corrective action. As an incentive, participating
employers may be eligible for a 10 percent to 20 percent discount on
their workers’ compensation premiums for up to five years.
Substance
abuse is often the silent and unseen cause of work-related accidents.
Unfortunately, employers and their employees may not be aware of
this invisible danger until it’s too late. As defined in BWC’s DFWP,
substance use and misuse involves the use of alcohol and other
drugs, including prescription, over-the-counter and illegal drugs,
in the workplace, in violation of the employer’s written DFWP
policy.
Any business that implements DFWP policies and procedures will not only
aid employers in having a safer more productive workplace, but will
benefit their employees, families and friends. Recent surveys
suggest that every dollar spent on treatment/prevention saves
society seven dollars in costs associated with alcoholism and drug
addiction (i.e. legal, health care, economic, employment,
etc.).
