Survey: 80% of Employers Impacted by Prescription Drug Abuse

A recently released survey of Indiana employers shows that 80 percent have been impacted by prescription drug misuse and abuse, including opioid painkillers, in their workplaces, the state attorney general’s office reported.

The survey released by the National Safety Council and the Indiana Attorney General’s Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force found nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of employers believe prescription drugs such as Vicodin, OxyContin and Percocet are bigger problems than illegal drugs.

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said the survey is the first of its kind in the nation. The findings come in the midst of the state’s prescription drug abuse epidemic, according to Zoeller

Drug poisonings, largely from opioid painkillers, have increased fivefold in Indiana since 1999 and now eclipse car crashes as the leading cause of injury death among adults, the AG’s office said.

The poll conducted by the National Safety Council from mid-May through late August 2015, surveyed more than 200 employers. The NSC said it will be used as a model for other states interested in addressing prescription drug abuse in the workplace. The poll surveyed employers from May through August.

“It is important for employers to understand that the most fatally abused drug today may be sitting in their employees’ medicine cabinets,” said Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “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.”

Other key findings from the survey include:

• 76 percent of employers say misusing prescription drugs is a justifiable reason for termination
• Only 53 percent of employers have a written policy on using prescription drugs at work, despite 80 percent reporting they have had experienced an issue
• 87 percent of employers conduct drug testing, but only 52 percent test for synthetic opioids
• More than 60 percent of employers are not confident that their staff can recognize the signs and symptoms of prescription drug misuse or abuse
• Less than 30 percent of employers offer training around workplace usage of prescription drugs

The NSC is recommending that workplace drug testing practices be expanded to include detection of opioid painkillers, train employees and supervisors how to spot signs of misuse and leverage employee assistance programs to help employees return to work following treatment for addiction.