June is National Safety Month, and employers and employees in all industries are encouraged to participate in the event by reinforcing the importance of preventing workplace hazards and unsafe working practices.

Sponsored by the National Safety Council (NSC) the theme of this year’s National Safety Month is “Make a Difference.”  Activities will address the most significant reasons for unintentional injuries and deaths in the American workplace, on the road and in the home and community.  Throughout the month, NSC will offer tools and materials that can help individuals and organizations make a difference and improve both on and off the job safety.

Each of the four weeks in June will focus on a different safety aspect, and two in particular reflect the importance of alcohol and drug abuse prevention to improved safety.  The week of June 9-13 is dedicated to educating about distracted driving hazards, while June 16-20 is focused on poisoning prevention, including prescription drug overdoses. 

For employers, one avenue for educating employees about the dangers of distracted driving and improper use of prescription drugs—during National Safety Month and all year round—is drug-free workplace programs.  Such programs emphasize to employees the importance of being drug free to their safety and that of their co-workers and generally support improved workplace and community safety. 

DOL’s Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace Web site offers a variety of tools and resources to assist employers in implementing such programs, including a drug-free workplace policy builder, training materials and helplines for employees who may have problems with alcohol and other drugs.  The site also features an impaired driving section that includes alcohol-related traffic safety facts and steps that employers can take to help curb impaired driving. 

Additional ideas on how employers can observe National Safety Month and resources to help them do so are available on the NSC Web site.