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OPA News Release: [10/16/2006]
Contact Name: Mike Biddle or David James
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676 or x5051
Release Number: 06-1798-NAT

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao Launches Drug-Free Work Week

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today launched the first Drug-Free Work Week, Oct. 16 through 22, and renewed a collaborative effort between the Department of Labor and members of its Drug-Free Workplace Alliance.

"Renewing the ground-breaking Drug-Free Workplace Alliance we created two years ago is a perfect way to celebrate our inaugural Drug-Free Work Week," said Elena Carr, director of the Labor Department's Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace initiative. "In the spirit of this special week, our Alliance members have pledged to continue working together to reduce the serious hazards posed by substance abuse at work. It is a positive example of how cooperation can improve the safety of America's workplaces."

The purpose of Drug-Free Work Week is to educate employers, employees and the general public about the importance of being drug-free as a component of improving workplace safety and health.

The Drug-Free Workplace Alliance is being renewed for two years. It is the Department of Labor's first-ever cooperative agreement focusing exclusively on improving worker safety and health in the construction industry through drug prevention and intervention. Led by the department's Working Partners program and managed cooperatively with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Mine Safety and Health Administration, the alliance brings together industry stakeholders to identify effective strategies. It was established in October 2004 with four labor unions and expanded in July 2006 to include four additional unions and five construction contractor/owner associations.

During Drug-Free Work Week, alliance members will conduct activities to help employers, supervisors and workers understand how to implement effective drug-free workplace programs that focus on detection and deterrence, while also offering assistance and support for workers who may have problems with alcohol or drugs.

For example, the Job Accommodation Network of the department's Office of Disability Employment Policy is hosting a free webcast Oct. 17 to help employers deal with substance abuse in the workplace. Learn more and register for the Webcast at www.jan.wvu.edu/teleconf/Events/2006/Substance_Abuse.htm.

Posters and stickers with the slogan Working Drug-Free Works are being distributed by each Drug-Free Workplace Alliance member for display in workplaces throughout the country. For more information on promoting drug-free workplace messages, go to www.dol.gov/workingpartners.