A SUBCONTRACTOR'S GUIDE TO STOPPING SUBSTANCE ABUSE
American Subcontractor's Association
Subcontractors must recognize their part of the overall workplace substance abuse problem and commit leadership and resources to address it. This includes writing a drug-free workplace policy, establishing a drug awareness program, and providing management and supervisory personnel with special training in confronting abuse.
As the cornerstone of an organization's substance abuse program, the written drug-free workplace policy should state clearly that alcohol and drug use are unacceptable in the workplace and spell out the consequences for violating the policy. It also should present specific provisions regarding drug testing if testing is part of the overall program.
A drug awareness program informs employees about the dangers of substance abuse and how to deal with it. Excellent educational materials on where and how to get help are available for distribution to employees from many sources. Organizations experiencing serious drug abuse problems or those located in areas that are at high risk for substance abuse are urged to establish or join an employee assistance program that can provide counseling and treatment to troubled workers.
To implement a drug-free program, it is necessary to train supervisors and managers to recognize the psychological and physical aspects of addiction and the specifics about common drugs of abuse such as marijuana and cocaine. They must also be able to spot job behaviors that may signal the presence of a substance abuse problem, such as:
- frequent absences with inadequate excuses,
- unreasonable use of sick leave,
- regular tardiness,
- departing from work early,
- inconsistent work quality,
- missed deadlines,
- failure to follow directions,
- making frequent errors in judgment,
- recurring temporary absences from the work area,
- repeated accidents,
- complaints from co-workers,
- overly sensitive reactions to criticism,
- avoidance of co-workers,
- deterioration of physical appearance, and
- attitude of moodiness, preoccupation or withdrawal.
Finally supervisors and managers need to thoroughly understand the details of how the workplace program operates (i.e., insurance coverage, employee assistance services, drug testing, etc.).
Drug testing, while often controversial, may act as a deterrent to drug use for non drug-using employees and occasional users. Testing utilizes analysis of a urine sample and involves retesting whenever there is an initial positive result. As a method of diagnosis, the options for using drug testing are several including the following types of situations:
- for preemployment screening of job applicants,
- when there is reasonable cause to suspect substance abuse, such as an appearance of being high or causing an accident,
- when workers' jobs involve the safety of co-workers,
- when workers return to work right after drug treatment or as a subsequent follow-up,
- and for all employees on a random basis.
Subcontractors are advised to consult with legal counsel when formulating a testing policy to ensure compliance with applicable legal requirements.