Businesses that prioritize safety in the workplace are more likely to retain their employees, according to a study by Ecsell Institute. But an increasing number of businesses are at risk of losing their most trusted workers due to a big safety issue; drug use. The number of U.S. workers failing drug tests is at a 20-year high, with 4.6% of workers testing positive. Not only does this put the user at risk of a serious accident in the workplace, but it puts their innocent co-workers in jeopardy too.
Taking risks
The most common drug workers tested positive for was marijuana. In just a year, positive cases rose more than 8% to 3.9%. One of the main reasons for this rise is that marijuana has been legalized for medical use in 37 states to date and for recreational purposes in 18 states. This has had a real impact on the number of workers thinking they are safe to take marijuana before heading to work. Employers have also taken big risks due to the labor shortage that has hit the U.S. over the past two years. The 2.2 million shortage has meant businesses have opted not to do drug tests on new and existing staff members in a bid to keep staffing levels as high as possible.
Safety problems
The National Safety Council highlights that workers under the influence of marijuana have 55% more industrial accidents and 85% more injuries at work than typical employees. Research has also connected marijuana use to daydreaming, poor concentration, an inability to complete tasks, and a reluctance to help others. This causes a big safety problem in the workplace and could lead to a significant accident. Some states already have high workplace accident rates, including Mississippi which has the highest rate of severe injury, and Texas which has the highest number of workplace deaths per capita. Adding drugs into the mix makes workers even more dangerous in these locations. A Houston injury attorney can help employees in Texas who are injured in the workplace by a drug-taking colleague. Negligence caused by individuals as well as the business will be considered and compensation may be sought.
Importance of drug testing
There’s certainly a good argument for drug testing in dangerous occupations, such as truck driving, fork lifting driving, mining, and machine operating. These occupations have some of the highest accident rates across the U.S. already and as much as possible needs to be done to keep these workers safe on the job. This includes not allowing these workers to take drugs before or during a shift. Some states also limit intoxicated employees from claiming workers’ compensation. Both workers and employees could therefore miss out and be financially penalized if organizations don’t prioritize drug testing their workers.
Workplace health and safety shouldn’t be compromised because of a need to fill vacant job positions. Employers therefore must continue to routinely test their workers for traces of all drugs and take action against those found to be working with substances in their systems.