Drug abuse is a major threat to society on all levels. It affects one’s personal relationships and health, and community stability and prosperity. Substance abuse and addiction also affects employers. While drug abuse can prove detrimental to any business, it’s of particular concern for companies that hire safety-sensitive employees, such as those in the transportation industry. Here’s a look at what employers can do to prevent drug abuse in the workplace.
Establishing a Drug Abuse Prevention Policy
Every company needs to have established guidelines regarding substance abuse. These guidelines should be published within the employee handbook or a separately distributed drug & alcohol testing policy. Companies may wish to consult a drug testing company that offers workplace programs regarding the specific wording to use in their policies. It’s also a good idea to hold training events designed to make employees aware of the policy and the potential consequences of violating it.
Developing a Drug & Alcohol Testing Policy
It can be difficult to accurately ascertain whether an employee is abusing drugs or not, even though there are certainly signs and symptoms that supervisors can watch out for. Perhaps the most effective way to ensure a drug-free workplace is to establish a drug testing policy. If your company provides safety-sensitive services, such as transportation, federal and state laws will require you to drug and alcohol test employees. It’s good practice to drug test job candidates as a required condition of an offer of employment. Following this, employees can be subject to drug testing at random intervals. And if there is a workplace accident, drug and alcohol testing can determine whether substance abuse may have played a role in the incident.
Oschmann Employee Screening Services is a national provider of drug and alcohol testing, and employee background check services with offices in Tucson, AZ and Phoenix, AZ. To inquire about our drug-free workplace programs, you can call our office at (800) 224-8532. Our knowledgeable team has extensive experience in designing custom workplace programs.
