Masonry Magazine October 2006 Page. 26
DRUG TESTING
USING A DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE TO STRENGTHEN YOUR WORKFORCE
SAY NO TO DRUGS
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ILLEGAL DRUG USE IS CERTAINLY NOT EPIDEMIC IN THE MASONRY INDUSTRY, BUT EVEN A SINGLE DRUG ABUSER CAN COST A COMPANY MONEY, CAUSE ACCIDENTS, AND RUIN A WELL-ESTABLISHED REPUTATION. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the construction industry is particularly susceptible to workers with substance abuse problems, having some of the highest rates of drug and alcohol abuse of any industry.
For business owners who don't realize the potential side effects, the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation and the U.S. Small Business Administration provide sobering statistics about employees who use drugs: they're up to 50 percent less productive; absent three weeks more per year and tardy three times more: nearly four times more likely to have an accident at work, and five times more likely to file a workers compensation claim. As if that's not enough, drug users average 300 to 400 percent higher medical claims and are responsible for 50 to 80 percent of internal theft.
By Brett Martin
24 Masonry
October 2006
www.masoncontractors.org