Substance Abuse Awareness in the Workplace

Supervisors and Employees

800-591-9741

Substance Abuse Awareness in the Workplace

To assist employers and employees in maintaining a safe workplace, Compliance Training Group offers Substance Abuse in the Workplace training. Workplace substance abuse affects all businesses, regardless of size or industry. Of the 12.3 million American adults who are current illicit drug users, 9.4 million (77 percent) are employed. Our two-hour Substance Abuse Workplace Training module covers Alcohol abuse, use of illicit drugs, misuse of prescription drugs, and how to identify the signs of an employee working while they are under the influence. Included in the course are substance abuse training videos to promote awareness in the workplace.

What is substance abuse?

Man Thinking About His Addiction ProblemSubstance abuse is the use of a substance for something other than its intended medical or social purpose. Abuse results in an impaired physical and mental condition and can also cause a deceptive state of euphoria, or a false sense of well-being. Abuse can often easily lead to addiction and cause dependency that can be physical, mental or both. In addition, substance abuse can create personal, family, and financial problems beyond the abuser’s control. All controlled substances have abuse potential. Some drugs alleviate pain, anxiety, or depression. Some induce sleep. Some energize the user.

There are five categories of drugs:

  • Narcotics
  • Depressants
  • Stimulants
  • Hallucinogens
  • Anabolic Steroids

The Drug Enforcement Administration is the federal agency that is responsible for enforcing the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States. The DEA organized all controlled substances in in a Schedule which groups substances based on their potential for abuse, their legitimate medical use, and whether the substance will lead to psychological or physical dependence. For a full list of all controlled substances, visit:

https://www.dea.gov/pr/multimedia-library/publications/drug_of_abuse.pdf

How does substance abuse affect employers?

People who abuse alcohol or drugs tend to neglect nutrition, sleep and other basic health needs. This leads to:

Employees who come to work under the influence of drugs or alcohol may be physically and mentally impaired while on the job. As a result they lack motivation to perform at capacity and also present a major safety risk when operating equipment. This leads to:

Employees who come to work under the influence of drugs or alcohol may be physically and mentally impaired while on the job. As a result they lack motivation to perform at capacity and also present a major safety risk when operating equipment. This leads to:

Did You Know?

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has an Employee Assistance Program that assists employees with substance abuse problems. This includes:

Our Workplace Substance Abuse Awareness Training also covers:

Legal Considerations

There are no requirements for the majority of private employers to maintain a drug-free workplace policy. However, there are several requirements for federal contractors and grantees to adhere to the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988.

In addition to the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, there are several federal statutes that give legal protections to certain classes of employees:

These statutes set specific limits on how far an employer can investigate and establish consequences for employee drug use.

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