October 14-20th is designated by the US Department of Labor as
Drug-Free Work Week,
and employers and workers across the country are encouraged to
participate. The purpose of
Drug-Free Work Week is to educate employers, employees
and the general public about the importance of being drug-free
as a component of improving workplace safety and health and to
encourage workers with alcohol and drug problems to seek help.
The U.S. Department of Labor is promoting
Drug-Free Work Week
through a collaborative effort with the 13 members of its
Drug-Free Workplace Alliance, a cooperative program
focused on improving worker safety and health in the
construction industry through drug-free workplace programs. In
addition, employers and employees across all industries are
encouraged to take part. The activities listed below represent
ways to build safer, healthier workplaces through substance
abuse prevention and intervention, and most can be implemented
at any time during the year.
Implement a Drug-Free
Workplace Program –
Drug-Free Work Week is the perfect time to launch a
Drug-Free Workplace Program if your organization does not
already have one. Such programs are natural complements to
other initiatives that help protect worker safety and health.
To learn more about them, contact American Drug Testing at
843-747-4111.
Promote your Drug-Free
Workplace Program – If your organization already has a
Drug-Free Workplace Program,
Drug-Free Work Week is a logical time to ensure the
program is adequate to meet current needs and to remind
employees about its important role in keeping them safe while
on the job. One way to do this is to distribute to all
employees a copy of your drug-free workplace policy, along
with a positive message about valuing health and safety, and
then provide an opportunity for them to ask questions about
it, perhaps through an open forum or privately.
Train supervisors -
Supervisors are the individuals closest to an organization’s
workforce. As part of
Drug-Free Work Week, organizations can conduct training
to ensure supervisors understand their organization's policy
on alcohol and drug use; ways to deal with workers who have
performance problems that may be related to substance abuse;
and how to refer employees to available assistance (American
Drug Testing offers low-cost online training programs).
Educate workers - To
achieve a drug-free workplace, it is critical that an
organization educate its workers about the nature of alcohol
and drug use and its negative impact on workplace safety and
productivity. Drug-Free Work
Week is a natural time to step up such efforts through
training sessions, guest speakers or brown-bag lunches. If
employee education is already a regular activity, a
Drug-Free Work Week
program could be offered on a specific timely topic such as
the abuse of prescription drugs or methamphetamine (contact
American Drug Testing for free training materials).
Remind employees about the
availability of EAP or MAP services - If your
organization has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or
Member Assistance Program (MAP),
Drug-Free Work Week
presents a perfect opportunity to remind them of its
availability. Such programs offer free, confidential services
to help all employees, including supervisors, resolve personal
and workplace problems, such as substance abuse. They also
offer confidential substance abuse screenings as well as brief
intervention, if warranted, and help employees locate local
treatment resources.
Source:
U.S. Department of Labor
For additional tips, see the “client area” at
www.AmericanDrugTesting.net or
all 843-747-4111.
Offer health screening
- Organizations can use
Drug-Free Work Week to encourage employees to assess
their own use of alcohol and other drugs and privately
determine if they need help to change their behavior. For
example, organizations can inform employees about the
confidential, self-administered online screening tool
Alcohol
Screening.org and make sure all employees have access to
the Internet in a private location in case they want to use
it. Availability of confidential substance abuse screenings by
qualified professionals could also be publicized and offered
by the EAP health unit, and/or occupational nurse.
· Publicize
available community treatment resources - Whether or
not an organization has an onsite EAP or health unit, help for
substance abuse problems is likely available nearby through a
hospital, local health department or stand-alone
Substance Abuse Treatment
Center. Furthermore, self-help programs, such as the
12-step programs of Alcoholics
Anonymous and
Al-Anon, are free and available in communities nationwide.
Drug-Free Work Week is
a great time to remind employees about community resources
that can be helpful for a person struggling with a substance
abuse problem or those who are close to him or her.
· Review
your health insurance policy - Coverage for substance
abuse treatment makes it more likely that employees struggling
with alcohol and drug problems will seek help proactively.
Review your health insurance policy to see if substance abuse
treatment is covered, and if it is not, consider discussing
the prospect of adding coverage with whoever handles your
organization's health benefits.
· Allow
employees time to volunteer in community drug prevention
efforts - Drug-Free
Work Week offers the chance to show commitment to
substance abuse prevention both inside and outside the
workplace. One way to promote an organization's dedication is
to grant employees time off to volunteer to assist with
efforts to prevent substance abuse in the larger community or
organize a team of volunteers to support a local prevention
initiative. Such efforts often are coordinated by schools,
faith-based organizations and
community anti-drug coalitions.
· Create
a Drug-Free Workplace Display -
Drug-Free Work Week is
a great time to freshen up bulletin boards in break areas or
other locations that employees frequent by posting positive
messages about the importance of being drug-free to their
safety and that of their coworkers. Start by putting up the
DOL Working Partner's
poster which is fitting for virtually all industries and
work environments. Additional display materials could include
a copy of the company's drug-free workplace policy, a list of
local and
national helplines for employees who may have a problem
with alcohol or drugs, and EAP contact information, if
applicable.
· Feature
Drug-Free Work Week in
the employee newsletter or Intranet -
Drug-Free Work Week
offers timely and fresh content for an employee newsletter or
internal Web site. Articles could be on a range of topics,
including general information about substance abuse and its
impact in the workplace environment; sources of help for
workers with substance abuse problems; and actions workers can
take if they think a colleague may have a substance abuse
problem. An easy way to do this is to
reproduce one or more "drop-in" articles available.
· Distribute
a payroll message listing helplines or a reminder about
Drug-Free
Work Week for employees
- Paychecks are one thing that every employee pays attention
to! Provide additional value during
Drug-Free Work Week by
including a leaflet or message listing sources of help for
those with substance abuse problems or a simple reminder that
it is Drug-Free Work Week
and a good time to re-commit to working drug-free. An easy way
to do this is to
print and reproduce a ready-to-use payroll message.
· Hold
a social event celebrating safety and health - A social
event with plenty of food, fun and non-alcoholic drinks can
help reinforce the importance of being drug free to working
safely and remind workers that alcohol is not necessary to
unwind and relax. The theme for such an event could be one of
general health and wellness, with door prizes such as gift
certificates for local health clubs or recreational
activities. Working Partners provides a number of
tips on how to create alcohol-free workplace parties.
For more ideas on how to recognize
Drug-Free Work Week,
employers and workers may want to contact various
national or
state substance abuse prevention organizations or their
local
community anti-drug coalition.)
http://www.dol.gov/asp/programs/drugs/workingpartners/wpdrug-free.asp
For more ideas on how to recognize
Drug-Free Work Week,
employers and workers may want to contact various
national or
state substance abuse prevention organizations or their
local
community anti-drug coalition.)
Call us at 843-747-4111 or
email us.
