DEA Rx Disposal Strategy

The 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) estimates that 70% of people who abuse prescription pain relievers obtain them from friends or family.

A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposal to better regulate the disposal of controlled substances could help reduce that percentage; since many of these abusers are searching medicine cabinets for unused meds prescribed to someone they know. The plan would grant more options for law enforcement and manufacturers to conduct take-back events, mail-back programs and establish collection box locations.

At the state level, California is now requiring pharmaceutical companies to financially back and administrate a statewide drug take-back program. While these initiatives are typically run by the government, this new law will create the first program that puts the onus on drug companies.

Burden of Injury in Ohio Report

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Violence and Injury Prevention Program (VIPP) has released its first Burden of Injury in Ohio report. Culling data from death certificates, hospitals, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cost estimates, and other sources, the report provides a snapshot of the burden of injury in the state. The information addresses many types of injuries among different age, race and gender groups.

Of interest to our readers is the section that focuses on drug overdose. According to the report, unintentional drug overdose deaths increased 319% from 2000 to 2010. The report found that drugs/medications were involved in 95% of unintentional drug overdoses and 92% of hospitalizations due to unintentional poisoning.

App Shows Drinking Effects on Appearance

A new phone app, available on both Android and iPhone platforms, shows the potential unattractive effects drinking can have on one’s facial features. The app allows users to upload a photo as well as details about their drinking habits. The software then manipulates the picture to show the adverse effects alcohol use can have on appearance. These include weight gain, dull skin, wrinkles and red cheeks.

The app was launched by the Scottish government as part of its “Drop a Glass Size” initiative, which aims to show how even small changes in drinking can affect an individual’s health.

Where Does Your DFWP “Fit” (Part 5)

A drug-free workplace program (DFWP) is a good way of controlling and mitigating risk.  Beyond the safety, human resource and wellness concerns, your program can fit nicely within risk management.

If fiscal officers of the company are responsible for implementing a DFWP, it may be purely driven by financial objectives such as qualifying for contracts or insurance premium discounts, or addressing a slow drain on the company’s resources that can no longer be ignored.

The argument for housing your program here may not be as strong as others in terms of getting employee support, but it is a great fit to help get business owners and executives to sign-on:

• Substance abusing employees use 300-400% more medical benefits than non-abusing employees.
• Substance abusers file five times more workers’ compensation claims then non abusers.

Your drug-free workplace program also helps decrease company liability issues and may afford you discounts on workers’ compensation premium rates.  For example, in Ohio employers participating in the state’s Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s Drug-Free Safety Program can get up to a 7% discount on their rates.  Who doesn’t like to save money?

Ultimately the location of your drug-free workplace program has to make sense for your organizational chart, the skill level and assignment of staff to manage the program, and the direct and indirect messages you want to send to your employees and … the public.  There is no right answer. There may even be areas within our organization that we didn’t think of.  Where you house your drug-free workplace program is up to you.  Just remember to think about the messages you are sending your employees and how those align with the objectives of your program?

Where Does Your DFWP “Fit” (Part 4)

Separate from human resources and safety, another place that your drug-free workplace program can fit is within a wellness committee.

The concepts of wellness and prevention are mainstreaming in our collective consciousness. We hear these words in relation to health insurance programs, public health campaigns and even politics. As part of wellness and health, employees are encouraged to critically think about what they ingest and how it affects their physical and emotional well-being — this includes prescription drugs and other legal substances.

Abusing drugs and alcohol come with risks.  Even behaviors that seem innocent in the beginning can cause employees to become negatively and dangerously entangled with some of alcohol and other drug:

• 28% of American adults consume alcohol at levels that put them at risk of developing alcohol dependence and alcohol-related problems.
• Painkiller misuse is responsible for 75% of the overall problem of prescription drug abuse.
• One out of 11 people who use marijuana will become addicted

Given the focus on wellness and the fact that a major objective of a drug-free workplace program is education, an argument can be made that drug-free workplace operations align nicely with a corporation’s wellness department. Furthermore, being that wellness is the new “health” focus, this could serve as a “smart” location to maintain a focus on the drug-free workplace program. Also, wellness may be an area with focused dollars, resources and attention furthering the benefit of placing drug-free workplace issues there.

Safety and productivity automatically benefit from a drug-free workplace program, but the personal benefits to an employee aren’t always realized by the individual.  Having your program operated as a wellness issue will tell your employees that you care about them as a person.  Additionally, the information shared can go beyond the individual employees to benefit their families and friends.  People want to share health and wellness information with those they love.  It’s a win-win for everyone.

Next week we will wrap up this topic and share one more place your drug-free workplace could fit within your organization.  Stay tuned.

Where Does Your DFWP “Fit” (Part 3)

Continuing the discussion on where in your organization your drug-free workplace belongs, besides your safety department, your human resource department could be an excellent choice.

Strictly speaking, a human resource department helps manage an organization’s workforce.  The individuals in this department are usually responsible for hiring and firing protocols, reviews, engaging unions (where applicable), employee training and development and numerous other tasks.  By necessity, these individuals keep an eye on labor laws and are knowledgeable about employer liability as it relates to employees.  Managing the operations of a drug-free workplace program fits perfectly within the skill set and interest of human resource departments.

Consider the following statistics about substance abusers:

• They are 33-50% less productive than non-abusing employees.
• They miss three more weeks of work per year than their counterparts.
• 50-80% of all workplace theft is attributed to substance abuse.

Productivity, absenteeism and theft are all issues that a human resource department deals with.  So doesn’t it make sense to house your drug-free workplace program here?

Education and training are critical components of a drug-free workplace program.   How can a company expect employees to follow a policy if they aren’t informed?  And for those in a company already abusing drugs and/or alcohol, research has shown that these employees can improve their situation with proper re-education and, in some cases, intervention. The costly tolls in human capital can be related to physical and mental health, relationships, and financial security – all of which can be at risk when a person has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol and other drugs.  These workforce issues directly impact the functioning of an organization and thus can logically fall within the purview of the human resource department.

Placing your drug-free workplace program inside your human resource department can convey to employees how much you value them and help underscore the impact substance abuse has on their ability to do their jobs.

It is a logical place to house your program, the question ultimately comes down to, is it the message you want to send?  Is there a better message you want your employees to know about how a drug-free workplace impacts them.  We already talked about a program’s impact on safety, but what about how a program can impact your employees’ health?  That will be the topic of next week’s post.

Where Does Your DFWP “Fit” (Part 2)

One of the departments a drug-free workplace (DFWP) program can be housed under is safety.  This is a sensible location for the program since substance abusing employees are more likely to have a workplace accident. In fact, for many of our clients, safety concerns (e.g., keeping employees and customers safe) are a driving factor for implementing a DFWP.

Statistics even back up this concern:

• Substance abusers file 5 times more workers’ compensation claims.
• 47% of accidents that end in serious injury involve alcohol and/or other drugs.
• 40% of fatal accidents involve alcohol and/or other drugs.
• Accidents involving an employee under the influence are 40% more likely to cause injury to a co-worker.

These are powerful statistics. By connecting the drug-free workplace program with safety, an organization is saying “Safety is a priority and we want to do everything we can to keep you safe.”  That’s an important message to have integrated throughout an organization and to broadcast to the public.

Additionally, placing your drug-free workplace program under safety is a good way to help employees embrace the program.  What employee goes to work thinking: “I am going to get injured today.”    Everyone wants to be safe at work and to return home in the same physical shape (i.e., injury free) they were when they left home.

Since a drug-free workplace program will inherently improve the safety of your organization why would any organization put their program in a different department?

Tags: drug free workplace, drug-free workplace, drug-free workplace program, substance abuse screening

Where Does Your DFWP Fit?

Our CEO and founder Dee Mason was recently asked an interesting question from the leader of a state Chamber of Commerce – Where does a drug-free workplace program belong in an organization?  He was trying to determine in which department a drug-free workplace program (DFWP) should reside.  As they worked together, they talked about several different departments well-suited for the task: safety, human resources, wellness and risk management.

If well planned and administered correctly, normally operating a drug-free workplace program would not qualify as a full-time job. It is a function that fits in a department with similar responsibilities and administrative activities. But does it matter where it is housed?

It can – it sends a message about how the organization thinks about their program. For example, to a program administrator who has newly inherited these responsibilities, it may signal a measurement of the value management places on the program.

As management, evaluating where a DFWP program should be housed may provide an opportunity to re-align thinking, commitment and placement of your program to be sure you are maximizing the ROI you intended by implementing a drug-free workplace program.

Over the next few weeks we will look at the different departments that may house a drug-free workplace program and work through what messages this sends to your employees and how it might impact your program.

Tags: drug free education, drug free workplace, drug-free workplace, workplace drug abuse

Drug testing: When an employee “can’t go.”

Question: What happens if my employee arrives at the collection site for a drug test and “can’t go?”

Answer: Most collection facilities (do yours?) follow procedures for shy bladder that have been adopted by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and required for DOT-mandated tests. The steps include asking the donor to drink specific amounts of water and wait a specified period of time at the collection facility until they can “go.” If that doesn’t do the trick and three hours has passed, the collection facility will discontinue the collection process and notify the employer.

Under this DOT-mandated system, the Medical Review Officer (MRO) directs the employer to ask the employee to obtain, from a licensed physician, who is acceptable to the MRO, an evaluation concerning the employee’s failure to provide an sufficient amount of urine. That documentation is forwarded to the MRO for review and final determination.

Even if you do not have DOT mandated employees, it is prudent to follow these protocols, but you are not required to do so.

Tags: drug testing, drug testing on the job, employee drug testing policy

Helping Resources for Employees

Employers in Ohio without a formal Employee Assistance Program (EAP), but who still want to provide employees with helpful resources, can turn to the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS). Visitors to their website, www.odadas.gov, can find a list of county providers that offer alcohol/drug assessments and counseling services, many on a sliding fee scale.

If you are developing a list to pass out to employees it is important that you go beyond just pulling a list of agencies together, but that you contact selected agencies and build referral relationships before the need arises. Whether the employee voluntarily asks for help or is mandated to go because of a drug-free policy violation, as a drug-free workplace program administrator it is helpful to know

• directions to the facility
• pricing structure
• if the counselor will provide a “return-to-duty” recommendation to the employer
• if there is a waiting list for services
• if the facility is on a bus line (for those who do not have their own transportation)
• what special needs the facility can accommodate, as needed

Getting this information will be helpful not only to any employee who may need to use the agencies’ services, but for you as the drug-free program administrator to know what kinds of resources are at your fingers and what can be expected if one of your employees needs their services.

Tags: drug free education, drug free program, drug-free workplace, drug-free workplace program, Working Partners