Survey: 80% Of Hoosier Workplaces Impacted By Rx Abuse

By Mike Perleberg (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Is your co-worker battling a drug problem? It may be more likely than one might assume, a new study suggests. The National Safety Council and the Indiana Attorney General’s Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force released a statewide study looking at prescription drug abuse in the workplace on Monday. The study is the first of its kind in the country. “We've seen how the public health crisis of prescription drug abuse is taking a toll on families and communities in Indiana, and this survey shows that it has infiltrated our workplaces, just as it has with so many other facets of our society,” said Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller, creator and co-chair of the task force. More than 200 employers across the state were surveyed between May and August. Among the findings is the revelation that 80 percent of Indiana workplaces are impacted by prescription drug abuse. Also, 23 percent of respondents said that medications – Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet, and others – were being borrowed or sold in the workplace. The study goes on to reveal that drug poisonings have increased five-fold in Indiana since 1999. Drug overdoses have surpassed vehicle crashes as the leading cause of injury death among adults. Source: Indiana Employer  Prescription Drug Survey by The National Safety Council and the Indiana Attorney General’s Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force. Deborah Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council, says it is important for employers to understand that the most fatally abused drug today may be sitting in their employees’ medicine cabinets. “Ensuring employees are as safe and healthy as possible should be every employer’s highest priority. It is our hope that employers take the lead on this emerging safety threat so our workplaces can be safer than ever before,” Hersman said. Additionally, the study showed that while 87 percent of Hoosier companies test employees for drugs, only 52 percent test for synthetic opioid, or painkiller, use. Ninety-one percent do test for opiates, such as heroin or morphine. Less than 30 percent of employers offer training around workplace usage of prescription drugs. Hersman suggests companies begin testing for opioids, offering more staff training, and implement assistance programs for employees returning to work following treatment for addiction. More findings from the survey can be found here.