NSC Promotes Drug-Free Work Week
Most drug users are employed -- more than three-quarters of them, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
estimates. In 2006, 12.7 million (61.5 percent) of the 20.6 million adults classified with substance
dependence or abuse were employed full-time, and 62.7 percent of the working age population (ages 18-64)
diagnosed with a substance use disorder had full-time jobs.
For employers and employees seeking to protect their businesses, co-workers and even themselves from the
burden of substance abuse, there are many resources. The National Safety Council helps promote an awareness
of the connection between substance abuse and workplace safety as a Planning Partner in the DOL’s annual
Drug-Free Work Week observance.
Since launching Drug-Free Work Week in 2006, the DOL reports many organizations, representing an array of
industries, have signed on. The Council brings to the campaign
research to better understand one element of the issue: the alarming problem in the U.S. today of lives lost to accidental overdoses of prescription and illicit drugs. In 2006, an estimated 24,000 people died in the U.S. from unintentional drug overdoses, a 100 percent increase since 2000. In Washington state and the District of Columbia, overdoses have surpassed motor vehicle crashes to become the leading cause of unintentional death.
For more information about the toll of substance abuse on all segments of society, including the workplace, visit the
DOL online. The DOL also offers contact information for a variety
resources
for employers, employees and others seeking help with substance abuse or implementation of drug-free workplace programs.
