Care for the Substance Abuser in the Workplace.

• Author: MIDDLETON, SAUNDRA

According to the Alaska Department of Labor's Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace, nationally substance abuse costs businesses $75 billion a year. Alcoholism causes 500 million lost workdays yearly. Half of all work-site injuries are substance abuse related. Seventy-thee percent of those Americans who use illicit drugs are in the work force. And productivity levels for drug users are only 66 percent of their fellow employees.

Industries reporting the highest alcohol and drug use are construction, retail/wholesale and extraction type industries like fishing, timber and mining. Many of these are Alaska's top employers.

"Substance abuse probably exists in nearly every company in Alaska," states Karen Manning, general manager at AAT. She adds that Alaska's alcoholism has always been a huge problem, but drug use is even bigger.

"Twenty-five percent of the work force will have some degree of problem with substances," states Jeff Grasser, clinical supervisor at Providence Break-Through. He says 10 percent of the population has full-blown addictions while another 10 percent to 15 percent are episodic substance abusers.

Getting Started

Even as grim as the statistics seem, a business doesn't have to let workplace substance abuse cripple its bottom line. Working Partners suggests this five-step approach:

* Write a substance abuse policy--A policy should list why the program is there, such as safety issues or legal requirements. It should include prohibited behaviors and consequences for those behaviors. Manning suggests following Alaska House Bill 207 L&C for writing a policy. It provides guidance for businesses in litigation protection and outlines what the minimum policy requirements should be. It also lists testing procedures and details disciplinary actions an employer can take.

* Train supervisors--Supervisors need to fully understand the policy and know how to identity problems. They should be trained in documentation procedures and confronting problem employees.

* Educate employees--Explain the dangers of substance use in the workplace. Explain other impacts to the company in increased costs due to substance abuse. Clarify the policy details.

* Provide employee assistance--This step can be as extensive as providing an employee assistance program or as simple as providing a list of community resources. Grasser says that for every dollar spent on treatment, $7 is saved in rehiring and training costs.

* Drug and alcohol...