The epidemic of opioid use throughout the country has taken a toll on families and homes and now a new study has found that it is also impacting the workplace. A study done by the National Safety Council has found that 75% of employers believe that their workplace has been affected by opioid use.
The number is staggering, but almost more staggering is that just 17% of those polled said that they were at least somewhat prepared for dealing with this type of use in their workplaces. Here are some more eye popping numbers from the study:
- Only 50% of employers surveyed said they believed they had an appropriate HR policy in place to deal with opioid use in the workplace.
- Most employers believe that opioid use impairs job performance, in fact, 86% of those polled responded that drug use would impair performance.
- Nearly 80% of respondents were not confident in the ability of their employees to spot drug use
There was one small piece of good news from the report that should give hope, nearly 50% of employers said they would bring an employee back to work after he/she had undergone the necessary treatment for opioid addiction.
If you experience issues at work due to opioid use, contact our office immediately. Our board certified workers’ compensation attorneys can look into your case and help fight to protect your long term interests.
