Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs in the Workplace

1
Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs in the Workplace
Eaton County Substance Abuse Advisory Group
(ECSAAG)

• The Benefits of a Creating a Healthy Work
  Environment

2
Introduction

• This presentation includes
• Harmful affects of alcohol, tobacco and other
  drug (ATOD) use on the employee and the employer
• Data on ATOD use
• The impact of ATOD use on health care costs and
  workplace productivity
• Employer benefits of ATOD workplace education,
  cessation programs/services and policies
• Steps to creating a healthier workplace

3
What are the harmful affects of ATOD use?

• The personal risks of alcohol, tobacco and
  other drugs

4
Personal risks of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs

• Tobacco

• Alcohol and Other Drugs

• Cigarette smoking accounts for nearly 1 of every
  5 deaths, each year in the U.S.
• Smoking causes an estimated 90 of all lung
  cancer deaths in men and 80 of all lung cancer
  deaths in women.

• Alcohol and drugs can damage major organs,
  increase risk of cancers, and even cause death.
• More than half (57 ) of fatal car crashes
  involve a driver who tested positive for alcohol
  or drugs.
• Alcohol and drugs can impair judgment making
  people more likely to hurt themselves or others,
  to have trouble with the law, to do poorly at
  school or work and to have relationship trouble.

Sources University of North Carolina, Bowles
Center for Alcohol Studies. http//www.med.unc.edu
/alcohol/prevention/effects.html Society for the
Study of Addiction, Addiction, 2012
Source Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Smoking and Tobacco Use 2012
5
Did you know?

• Data on alcohol, tobacco and other drug use

6
Alcohol Use

• Those who binge drink are actually responsible
  for most of the harm to our community.
• 1 in 6 adults binge drink nationally.
• Binge drinkers do so about 4 times a month.
• The largest number of drinks per binge is an
  average of 8.

Binge Drinking 4 or more drinks per occasion
for women and 5 or more drinks per occasion for
men.
Sources Http//www.cdc.gov/Features/Alcoholic
Consumption/ http//www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/BingeDr
inking/index.html http//www.michigantrafficcra
shfacts.org/
7
Who Pays for Binge Drinking?

• 72 Employer
• 28 Police Jails Health Care
• Costs due to lost worker productivity account
  for 72 of the economic harm of alcohol use.
• In Eaton County
• Alcohols Economic Harm Costs
• 79 million

Sources Http//www.cdc.gov/Features/Alcoholic
Consumption/ http//www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/BingeDr
inking/index.html http//www.michigantrafficcra
shfacts.org/
8
Tobacco use on the rise?
In Eaton County, 30.5 of adults are current
smokers according to the 2008-2010 Eaton County
Behavioral Risk Factor Survey as compared to only
20.4 in 2006-2007 and 19.8 for state of
Michigan in 2009.
Number of Deaths Linked to Tobacco Use (2009)
9
Drug Use

• Increasingly people are abusing drugs that are
  not traditional like misusing prescription
  opiates, amphetamines, synthetic and designer
  drugs.
• In Michigan, data from 1999-2009 indicate that
  the unintentional drug poisoning death rate for
  opioid analgesics including oxycodone,
  hydrocodone, and methodone that are usually
  prescribed to reduce pain increased by 734.6
  during 1999-2009.

Source Bureau of Substance Abuse and Addiction
Services, Michigan Department of Community
Health. Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drug
Abuse Strategic Plan, 2012. http//www.michigan.go
v/documents/mdch/RxOTC_Drug_Abuse_Strategic_Plan_F
inal_389362_7.pdf
10
Are Illicit Drug Users in the Workforce?

• According to the National Survey on Drug Use and
  Health, of the 19.9 million current illicit drug
  users aged 18 or older in 2011, 66 were
  employed either full or part time.
• Illegal Misused Illicit Drug Use
• OVER HALF of the people employed with substance
  abuse problems were employed full time in 2011.

Source 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and
Health
11
How does employee ATOD use affect the employer?

• The effects of employee alcohol, tobacco and
  other drug use on the employer

12
How does ATOD affect employer health care costs?

• Alcohol and Other Drugs

• Tobacco

• Greater Healthcare costs employees with alcohol
  problems are twice as high as those for other
  employees.
• Increased Accidents People who abuse drugs or
  alcohol are three and one-half times more likely
  to be involved in a workplace accident, resulting
  in increased workers compensation and disability
  claims.

• Greater disability costs Nonsmoking employees
  can receive benefits such as workers'
  compensation based upon their exposure to
  secondhand smoke in the workplace.
• Businesses pay an average of 2,189 in workers'
  compensation costs for smokers, compared with
  176 for nonsmokers.
• Increased health insurance and life insurance
  claims In the United States, the direct medical
  costs associated with smoking totaled
  approximately 75.5 billion (average 1997-2001),
  according to the CDC.

Sources MDCH, Division for Vital Records and
Health Statistics. 2009.Causes of Preventable
Death Barry County Residents and Causes of
Preventable Death Eaton County Residents.
National Business Group on Health.
www.businessgrouphealth.org/tobacco
Sources Schneider Institute for Health Policy,
Brandeis University, Substance Abuse, The
Nation's Number One Health Problem, Princeton,
NJ Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2001. US
DHHS, SAMHSA, 1999 National Household Survey on
Drug Abuse, Rockville, MD US DHHS, 2000.
13
How does alcohol affect workplace productivity?

• Reduced Productivity Employees with light and
  moderate alcohol use cause 60 of alcohol-related
  absenteeism, tardiness, and poor work quality.
  Productivity can be reduced at any level of
  dependence.
• Employed relatives pay. More than half of working
  family members of alcoholics report that their
  own ability to function at work and at home was
  negatively impacted by their family member's
  drinking.
• Absenteeism increases. Alcoholism is estimated to
  cost 500 million lost workdays annually.

Sources National Business Group on Health. An
Employers Guide to Workplace Substance Abuse
Strategies and Treatment Recommendations. 2009.
http//www.businessgrouphealth.org/pub/f3151957-23
54-d714-5191-c11a80a07294 U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration. 2008. 14
short employer cost savings briefs. 2008.
http//store.samhsa.gov/product/14-Short-Employer-
Cost-Savings-Briefs/SMA08-4350
14
How does employee drug use affect workplace
productivity?

• Reduced productivity and tardiness Studies have
  shown that substance-abusing employees function
  at about two thirds of their capability and that
  employees who use drugs are three times more
  likely to be late for work.
• Turnover increases Individuals who are current
  illicit drug users are more than twice as likely
  (12.3 percent) as those who are not (5.1 percent)
  to have changed have changed employers three or
  more times in the past year.

Sources U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration. Drugs in the workplace
what an employer needs to know.
http//www.safeguardcertify.com/pdf/dt/SAMSA_Drugs
_workplace508.pdf S.L. Larson, J. Eyerman, M.S.
Foster, and J.C. Gfroerer, Worker Substance Use
and Workplace Policies and Programs. Rockville,
MD SAMHSA, OAS, 2007. http//www.oas.samhsa.gov/w
ork2k7/
15
How does tobacco use affect workplace
productivity?

• RATES OF ABSENTEEISM
• Research has shown that smokers take almost 8
  days more of sick leave compared to employees who
  do not smoke.
• PRODUCTION TIME
• Tobacco use leads to a loss of productivity more
  than alcohol consumption, family emergencies, age
  or education, according to a national study of
  American Productivity Audit data of the U.S.
  workforce.
• Lost productivity costs are about 4,430 per year
  for current smokers compared to 3,246 per year
  for former smokers and 2,623 per year for
  non-smokers.

Source Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Save Lives, Save Money Make Your
Business Smoke-Free, June 2006
16
How Employers Can Help

• Education, workplace-based programs and policies

17
You Can Make an Impact

• Did you know that
• Savings to employers from investing in substance
  abuse treatment can exceed costs by a ratio of 12
  to 1.
• Substance abuse treatment improves work
  performance and productivity while reducing
  interpersonal conflicts, job turnover, drug- and
  alcohol-related accidents and insurance costs.

Sources National Institute on Drug Abuse,
Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment A
Research-Based Guide, FAQ11, Bethesda, MD,
1999. SAMHSA, Center for Substance Abuse
Treatment, Substance Abuse in Brief Effective
Treatment Saves Money, Rockville, MD SAMHSA
CSAT, January, 1999.
18
Benefits of Creating a Workplace Substance Abuse
Policy

• By promoting substance abuse education and
• access to treatment in the workplace, employers
• can realize many money-saving benefits
• Reduced absenteeism and job turnover
• Improved worker productivity and job performance
• Reduced healthcare costs and
• Fewer workplace accidents and disability claims

Source SAMHSA, CSAT, Substance Abuse in Brief
Effective Treatment Saves Money, Rockville, MD
SAMHSA CSAT, January, 1999.
19
Benefits of a Tobacco-Free Worksite Policy

• For Employees

• For Employers

• A tobacco-free environment helps create a safe,
  healthful workplace
• Shows the company cares
• Workers who are bothered by tobacco will not be
  exposed to it at the worksite
• Tobacco users appreciate a clear company policy
  about smoking or using smokeless tobacco at work.
• Managers are relieved when a process for dealing
  with tobacco in the workplace is clearly defined

• Reduced direct health care costs
• Reduced maintenance costs
• It may be possible to negotiate lower health,
  life, and disability coverage because employee
  tobacco use is reduced
• Increased productivity

Source American Cancer Society. Tobacco free
Workplace Toolkit, 2011. http//www.cancer.org/ac
s/groups/content/_at_healthpromotions/documents/docum
ent/acspc-026485.pdf
20
Employer Steps to Reducing Tobacco Use

• Your company can help lower the number of tobacco
  deaths and save lives from cancer by
• Promoting the importance of quitting and avoiding
  tobacco products.
• Establishing workplace-based tobacco cessation
  programs/services.
• Offer programs and services that will educate
  employees about the steps they can take to quit
  using tobacco.
• Adopting a long-term plan to implement a
  smoke-free workplace policy.
• Research shows that when employers implement a
  smoke-free policy, smokers are more likely to
  quit smoking, which can help them stay well.

Source American Cancer Society. Tobacco free
Workplace Toolkit, 2011. http//www.cancer.org/ac
s/groups/content/_at_healthpromotions/documents/docum
ent/acspc-026485.pdf
21
Employer Steps to Reducing Substance Abuse and
Overuse

• Initiate an Employee Assistance Program that
  includes confidential substance abuse screening,
  education, treatment referral, and recovery
  support.
• Develop a policy for dealing with substance abuse
  in the workplace at a minimum, provide training
  for supervisors in recognizing and dealing with
  drug or alcohol problems and support treatment
  for and recovery from substance use disorders.
• Offer employees health insurance that provides
  comprehensive benefits for substance abuse
  treatment, including a broad range of service
  options, such as therapy, medications, and
  recovery support.
• Be sure that health plans require their
  physicians to screen patients confidentially for
  substance use problems.

22
Support for you to get started

• Substance Free Workplace Toolkits
• SAMHSAs Making Your Workplace Drug-Free A Kit
  for Employers
• http//store.samhsa.gov/shin/content//SMA07-4230/
  SMA07-4230.pdf
• An Employers Guide to Workplace Substance Abuse
  Strategies and Treatment Recommendations
• http//www.businessgrouphealth.org/pub/f3151957-2
  354-d714-5191-c11a80a07294
• Tobacco-Free Workplace Tool Kits
• Implementing a Tobacco-Free Campus Initiative in
  Your Workplace http//www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/hw
  i/toolkits/tobacco/index.htm
• The American Cancer Society- Tobacco-Free
  Workplace Tool Kit http//www.cancer.org/acs/group
  s/content/_at_healthpromotions/documents/document/acs
  pc-026485.pdf
• Contact an ECSAAG representative to help you get
  started with your ATOD workplace policies Sara
  Lurie, 517-541-8711 or slurie_at_eatonresa.org
• For more information on tobacco-free workplace
  policies contact Tamah Gustafson,
• 517-541-2624 or tgustafson_at_bedhd.org