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NUMBERS THAT COUNT
A drug-abusing employees is:

2.2 times more likely to request early dismissal or time off,
2.5 times more likely to have absences of eight days or more,
3 times more likely to be late for work,
3.6 times more likely to injure themselves or another person in a workplace accident,
5 times more likely to be involved in an accident off the job (which, in turn, affects attendance or performance on the job), and,
5 times more likely to file a workers' compensation claim.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (Strategic Planning for Workplace Drug Abuse Programs, DHHS Publication No. (ADM) 87-1538)1

The Effects of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse in the Workplace

The impact of ATODA is felt in every aspect of American Society. The quality of life for each geographic region, ethnic group, profession or vocation, income level, and age category in the United States has suffered as a result of the use of illegal substances and the abuse of alcohol.

Employers are among the first to feel the impact of the price our society pays for illegal drug use, through lower productivity, greater absenteeism, inflated health care costs, higher turnover rates, reduces product quality, and increased accident losses. This cost does not include the cost to individuals and families, because it cannot be calculated in dollars and cents alone.

A sampling of studies across the country illustrates the devastating economic effect of drug abuse in the workplace:

Nationally, up to 25% of all American workers are estimated to use drugs. Most users of illegal drugs (70-80%) are employed persons, aged 20 to 40.

Drug users are four times more likely to experience on-the-job accidents and are five times more likely to file workmen's compensation claims than nonusers.

A typical drug-abusing worker will receive three times the sick pay and be late for work twice as often as the average worker.

New hires who tested positive for drug use were 40% more likely to be involuntarily terminated and experienced a 43% greater absenteeism than new hires testing negative.