Drug Abuse in the Workplace
Bradley Jordan
425 Chemical Dependency in the Workplace
August 1, 2010
Dawn Weldon
Drug Abuse in the Workplace
Drug abuse in the workplace exists within companies all over the world. The concern of each company is the safety of all employees, shareholders, insurer’s, suppliers and clients. Some illicit drugs that individual tend to abuse are ecstasy, cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and prescription drugs. If the war against drugs is not resolved in the workplace, then the economy of this country will fall.
The National Survey statistics show that 75% of the people employed are drug users. The percentage number can be calculated into 12.3 million people. It is in the company best interest to provide a drug-free workplace and bring awareness. This particular approach will keep the company competitive globally. In the construction environment, the OSHA act is a legal policy that must be followed by all construction companies. The act ensures a legal safety procedure for all construction employees. For example, OSHA states that for every 25 workers, a safety coordinator must be assign. Safety harness must be worn if an employee is elevated six-feet high. Seatbelt and headlights must be worn when operating a mobile vehicle. The construction industry is the most dangerous job in America. This particular industry has more fatality than any other industry in the world. 1,186 fatal injuries were recorded by OSHA in 2005. Residential building construction, highway construction, bridge construction, and utility construction are just a few occupations that increased the fatalities in the construction industry. “ Based on what is known about the effects of drug use, it is safe to say that construction workers who abuse drugs cause more accidents, increase workers' compensation costs, create more rework, increase turnover rates and take away from a company's competitive edge” (BLS, 2005). Most companies in the Unites States have different drug screening method, but the majority relies on a urine drug testing. Although many large contractors use some form of drug testing, most currently rely on urine-based technologies.