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Drugs and Alcohol in the workplace

            
             This topic is particularly interesting because it is a clear and present danger facing many workplaces across the U.S and other parts of the world. Its effect have taken a toll in terms of lost wages, declined production, and cost families across the board. Other effects are pointed out as we go. .
             Drug use in the community is inevitable and many of those who use drugs and those who use at a harmful level are employed. The extent of drug use in the community can reflect the extent of drug-use in the workplace. The workplace can be considered a microcosm of the broader community and responses to harmful drug use in the community may prove useful when considering ways of dealing with drug use problems in the workplace. .
             Workplace drug use can be defined as the use of any substance by a working individual, either on or off the site that can have potential workplace effects .
             The prevalence of drug use in the work place is an important issue for employees and employers. It is a major contributory factor in accidents, absenteeism, health problems, theft, lower productivity and job loss (International Labor Organization, 2000). Workers who are working under the influence of alcohol or other drugs can pose a serious safety risk to themselves and to other employees. The employer has a duty to all employees to provide as far as possible a safe workplace environment.
             The purpose of this essay is to describe responses to drug use in the workplace and its relation to the societal response. First, the workplace as a microcosm of society will be clarified. Second, the extent of drug use in the workplace will be examined followed by a description of responses used. The interrelation between workplace and societal responses will then be discussed.
             The workplace as a microcosm of society.
             The workplace can be considered a microcosm of society where drug issues in the workplace can be seen in a wider social context.


Essays Related to Drugs and Alcohol in the workplace

1. Drug Testing

When the question of drug testing in the workplace arises, many problems tend to come along with it. ... Drug-testing advocates claim that drug and alcohol abuse is responsible for high employee absentee rates; and according to drug testing laws, employers may be liable for the negligence of an employee under the influence of drugs or alcohol. ... Drug testing laws have been put in place to help guide employers in correcting problems of drug use in the workplace. . ... Workplace drug testing in America is being forced on employers for economic and safety reasons. ... The bottom line is e...

  • Word Count: 898
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Drug and Alcohol Testing

This means that more than 10 million employees use illicit drugs, making the workplace an important environment in which to intervene with drug users and to help prevent employees from starting to use illegal drugs. ... To avoid most legal matters, an effective drug and alcohol testing policy should be established. Drug testing is primarily focused on protecting a workplace from negative effects of alcohol and other drug abuse. ... There are many reasons that drug testing should be administered such as safety, to convince users that the cost of using is too high, to reduce the cost of alcoho...

  • Word Count: 2234
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Drugs In The Workplace

Random drug testing in the workplace is a good practice. ... Although drug abuse should not be tolerated in the workplace, consideration must be taken to limit the extent to which drug testing intrudes on employees" privacy. ... Absenteeism, injuries, loss of productivity, employee morale, theft and fatalities are just some of the causes of drug use in the workplace. ... Drug and alcohol use has also been the direct result of an increase in on the job accidents. ... Certain types of drug testing is necessary in today's workplace for they"re to be an increased effectiveness of a compa...

  • Word Count: 1528
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Drug Testing In The Workplace

Drug Testing in the Workplace: An Unwise Investment Drug testing is an unwise choice both financially, and morally, with negative consequences in many aspects. Besides being in violation of your individual rights, drug testing causes workers to feel threatened by their workplace and actually causes them to have a lower moral and self-esteem. Drug users may have a general fear of being harassed by drug policies and this could cause a lack of productivity due to a constant anxiety over having your personal freedoms violated. ... Much of the time, the drug users have stable lives, own enough...

  • Word Count: 446
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Alcohol's Long-Term Effects on the Body

Although alcohol is generally seen as a harmless substance in our society, it is in reality a very damaging, addictive, and commonly abused drug. Long-term usage of this drug results directly in severe damage to the following main bodily areas: the circulatory system, central nervous system, fluid balances, motor skills, sexuality, sleep, fat storage, and nutrition. ... The disruptive effects of alcohol last throughout the night, even when all alcohol has been purged from the system. ... Alcohol usage causes many problems in the workplace too, for example: decreases in efficiency, poor work ...

  • Word Count: 1397
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Changes in the Workplace

The using of drugs or alcohol at an unsafe and unhealthy level is not only harmful to the individual, but also to the business that has employed them. According to a recent study, 73% of illicit drug users are employed. ... Up to 40% of industrial fatalities and 47%of industrial injuries can be connected to alcohol consumption. Because of these startling figures, many businesses have set up drug policies and some even have their employees take random drug tests. ... Many laws have been passed that allow businesses to create these programs, such as the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 as well...

  • Word Count: 700
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Drugs In The Work Place

In a 1994 Amtrak accident in which several lives were lost, investigators discovered the train engineer had a well-known history of alcohol, not drug, abuse. ... Employers feel they have the right to protect their business from lawsuits due to accident and injuries because of employees using drugs or alcohol. The justification for performing drug testing is to prevent workers from claiming workers" compensation benefits because of the job related injuries caused by drug and alcohol. ... In fact, drug and alcohol abuse cost employers nearly $100 billion in lost productivity each year. ... Drug ...

  • Word Count: 1058
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Drug Testing

Drug Testing Beneficial or Costly? ... (Drug-Free 1) Drug testing helps prevent drug abuse in the workplace. ... According to the American Council for Drug Education's (ACDE) these are some behavior of Drug abusers. ... - How you do the drug testing... The test is for detection of recent drug abuse. ...

  • Word Count: 2757
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Drug Use

Many may argue that people who have an addiction will function better in the workplace if their drug of choice is available to them whenever they want it. Many accidents may occur if the workplace is not drug free, so this is a poor argument. ... Although Hospers' view states that drugs shall not be sold to minors, similar to the case with alcohol, minors will find ways to buy drugs if they want them badly enough. ... Similar to the case with alcohol, some parents may not care about the effects that drugs have on their children, and may allow them to use drugs. ... Drug and alcohol us...

  • Word Count: 1573
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

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