
ONE SMART QUESTION
MANY CORRECT ANSWERS
QUESTION: Why should a company
conduct drug testing?
ANSWER: There are millions
of drug abusers in the United States
According to the 2001 National
Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) approximately:
- 15.9 million Americans aged 12 or older admit to current
(in the last 30 days) illicit drug use;
- 36.0 million Americans aged 12 and older admit to
abusing prescription drugs in their lifetime;
- 12.9 million Americans aged 12 and older and 12.4
million adults admit to "heavy" drinking (5
or more drinks on at least 5 or more occasions in the
past month); and
- 2.1 million Americans 12-20 years of age admit to
being heavy drinkers.1
ANSWER: The Vast Majority
of Adult Drug Users are Employed
According to the government's
annual Household Survey on Drug Abuse in America, more
than three-quarters (76.4%) of all illicit drug users
18 and older are employed full or part time
that's
approximately 16% of the working population (full- and
part-time workers combined).1
ANSWER: Drug Users Are
Not The Best Employees
The federal government reported
that drug abusing employees, when compared to non-using
workers, are:
- More likely to change
jobs frequently (turnover)
- More likely to be late
or absent from work
- More likely to be less
productive employees
- More likely to be involved
in a workplace accident
- More likely to be
involved in a workplace accident; and
- More likely to file
a workers' compensation claim.
ANSWER: Drug Users are
Unsafe Workers
A study by the U.S. Postal
Service found that substance abusers, when compared to
their non-substance abusing co-workers, are:
- involved in 55 percent more accidents, and
- sustain 85 percent more
on-the-job injuries 2
Further, the National Safety Council
reports that 80 percent of those injured in "serious"
drug-related accidents at work are not the drug abusing
employees but non-using co-workers and others.2
ANSWER: Drug Users are
Very Costly to Employ
How much does drug abuse cost
employers? The U.S. Navy estimates each drug user costs
his or her employer an average of $6,600 annually more
than non-substance abusing co-workers.2
ANSWER: Employees Favor
Drug Testing
According to a Gallup survey,
employees typically favor drug testing of workers in safety-sensitive
jobs (95%), office workers (69%), health care workers
(92%), and factory workers (81%)
they even favor
drug testing of people in their "own occupations"
(78%).2
ANSWER: Employers Favor
Drug Testing
A survey of business executives
underscored the benefits of drug testing from a company's
perspective. For example, 77 percent of the respondents
said that since implementing drug testing they were seeing
a better caliber of job applicants. A "better public
image" was cited by 58 percent, while 56 percent
said they were experiencing fewer workplace drug problems.
Also noteworthy was that 54 percent had noticed an improvement
in employee morale.2
ANSWER: Drug Testing Works
According to Drug Users
According to a federal
government study of full-time employees who admitted that
they used illicit drugs, 40 percent said they were less
likely to work for a company that conducted random drug
testing and 30 percent said they were less likely to work
for a company that conducted pre-employment drug testing.2
ANSWER: Drug Testing Saves
Money
The U.S. Navy claims that
its drug-free workplace program, which includes random
drug testing and costs approximately $20 million a year,
has reduced the number of sailors who use drugs and abuse
alcohol by more than 57 percent. That equates to a savings
of more than $210 million every year. In other words,
the Navy claims it realizes a savings of approximately
$10 for every dollar it spends on drug testing. 2
TRY
THIS TWO-STEP FORUMULA TO CALCULATE YOUR "RETURN
ON INVESTMENT" (ROI) IN DRUG TESTING AND SEE HOW
MUCH YOU CAN SAVE!
STEP 1:
Multiply the number of employees at your company by the
percentage you think have a substance abuse problem; then
multiply that number by the average cost per year for
each drug abuser on your payroll to determine the cost
of substance abuse at your company.2
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