Making Workplaces Drug-Free
 Data show that the majority of Americans who use illicit
drugs or abuse alcohol are employed full time (see SAMHSA
News online, September/October 2007).
To help employers establish a drug-free workplace,
SAMHSA’s Division of Workplace Programs recently
released a new resource—Making
Your Workplace Drug-Free: A Kit for Employers.
In an expandable 3-ring binder, the kit can be tailored
for public and private workplaces of all sizes.
What’s in the Kit
The kit contains 9 brochures, 13 fact sheets, a bumper
sticker that reads, “Welcome to a Drug-Free Workplace,” and
2 large posters for display. The
fact sheets cover prevention resources,
building awareness, principles of successful
programs, and information about drug testing.
SAMHSA’s kit offers extensive guidance through
the process.
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Call the Workplace Helpline at
1-800-WORKPLACE!
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Understand the legal requirements. Federal, state,
and local statutes and regulations
should be taken into account when developing
a drug-free workplace policy. The kit
provides background materials and resources
to assist employers.
Build a team. Cooperation,
collaboration, and shared responsibility
are the cornerstones of a successful
drug-free workplace program. Team members
frequently include representatives
from management, human resources, security,
and the general workforce population.
Assess
your workplace. Employers should examine
what substance abuse issues their workplace
faces. Employers can identify resources
and strengths, examine policy and program
options, and take the best steps to prevent and reduce
alcohol- and other drug-related problems.
Develop a policy. A drug-free
workplace program includes a written
policy available to all employees.
The kit offers key elements for a policy,
including information on laws and regulations.
Plan and execute
a program. Steps are listed to help
employers build a customized program.
They include identifying resources and selecting an
employee assistance program, a health/wellness program,
a drug-testing plan, employee education, and/or supervisor
training.
Evaluate the program. Most
employers want to know the success
of their efforts. The kit provides well-established
tools and guidance to evaluate drug-free workplace
programs that allow for process, outcome- and
cost-related findings.
The kit was developed using the most accepted evaluation
tools and methods from researchers and employers in
the field—including those from SAMHSA’s
National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices.
To order Making Your Workplace
Drug-Free: A Kit for Employers, contact SAMHSA’s Health Information
Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727) or 1-800-487-4889
(TDD). Request inventory number SMA07-4230.
For more information, visit SAMHSA’s Web site
at http://workplace.samhsa.gov/WPWorkit/index.html. 
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