Drug Free Workplace Substance Abuse in the Manufacturing Industry

• The demand on the manufacturing industry is projected to increase and as a result, productivity is projected to go up in the process. ¹

• The manufacturing industry consists primarily of small businesses. Unfortunately, small companies are particularly vulnerable to workers who abuse alcohol and other drugs. A recent government survey indicated that 71 percent of illegal drug users are employed²; 60 percent are with companies that employ 500 or fewer workers.³

• Small businesses may be particularly vulnerable to problems of drug abuse among their employees because drug abusers will seek work at smaller firms where the likelihood of drug testing is slim.⁴

• The manufacturing industry traditionally draws heavily from the pool of 18- to 34-year-old job seekers, a segment of the American population that is at the heart of a nationwide increase in illegal drug use. Among young adults age 18-20, 18 percent are current illicit drug users; 12 percent of those age 21-25 and 8 percent of those age 26-34 are also current drug users.⁵

• The future work force is also at risk for alcohol and other drug abuse. Substance abuse among American teens is increasing at an alarming rate—up 33 percent in the past year; up 78 percent in the past three years.⁶

• Both the nondurable and durable goods manufacturing industries experience significant substance abuse. A recent Federal Government survey found that approximately 15 percent of workers in both nondurable goods and durable goods admit to illegal drug use sometime during the past 12 months. Seven percent of nondurable goods workers and nearly 8 percent of workers in durable goods report heavy alcohol use.⁷

• By specific industries, workers in the manufacturing of durable goods report illegal drug use levels as follows:⁸

	Illegal Drugs
	Current Use (%)	Past Year Use (%)	Heavy Alcohol Use (%)
Electrical Machinery	5.6	10.3	2.7
Lumber & Wood Products	8.9	15.8	12.0
Machinery	6.7	12.7	7.3
Metal Industries	6.8	21.4	10.0
Professional Equipment,Misc.	7.7	16.0	7.3
Transportation Equipment	4.8	13.4	8.2

• By specific industries, manufacturing nondurable goods workers report illegal drug use levels as follows:⁹

	Illegal Drugs
	Current Use (%)	Past Year Use (%)	Heavy Alcohol Use (%)
Apparel Products	6.8	11.5	3.8
Chemical Products	3.6	9.6	9.5
Food Products	10.3	18.4	8.3
Paper Products	8.0	12.7	5.3
Printing & Publishing	11.7	24.6	7.2
Rubber & Plastic Products	2.5	11.5	4.1
Textile Products	3.9	10.2	6.1

• Substance abusers do not make good employees. A study conducted by the U.S. Postal Service of workers who tested positive in pre-employment tests, but were hired anyway, revealed the following:

• nearly 70 percent were involuntarily discharged in less than two-and-a-half years;

• almost 60 percent were more likely to be heavy users of leave; and

• by the 33rd month, those testing positive were absent about 66 percent more often than those who had tested negative.¹⁰

• A survey conducted by the Project for Substance Abuse Assistance, a coalition of manufacturing industry associations primarily in the print and publishing sectors, found it was fairly easy to purchase alcohol and illegal drugs while at work. Overwhelmingly, respondents indicated that "more information on alcohol and drug problems" would be the most helpful way to assist co-workers with substance abuse problems.¹¹

• The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), for example, has taken a leadership role by providing drug-free workplace information to its members. NAM's custom-designed drug-free workplace kit was developed to help manufacturers with substance abuse problems. The kit contains information resource lists, sample policies, and success stories about companies that have implemented successful programs.

• From large international corporations to relatively small establishments, more and more manufacturing firms are implementing and maintaining substance abuse programs to ensure that their work forces are productive, their workplaces are safe, and the success of their businesses is not hindered by substance abuse.

Available from Working Partners are sample case studies of manufacturing companies that have effectively addressed workplace substance abuse.

Company Success Stories

ALLIES Program Gets Good Results for Members of Tag & Label Association

Drug Screening Yields "Quality" Employees for Parts Manufacturer

Employees of Small Manufacturing Company Embrace EAP; Owner Named "Entrepreneur of the Year"

Endnotes:

¹Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Employment Projections." USDL: 95-485 Released December 1, 1995.

²1995 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 1996.

³Drug Strategies, Washington, D.C. , 1996.

⁴"Mangan, D. "An Rx for Drug Abuse." Small Business Reports 17, No. 5 (May 1993):1,32.

⁵1995 National Household Survey, 1996.

⁶Ibid

⁷"Drug Use Among U.S. Workers: Prevalence and Trends By Occupation and Industry Categories,"

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 1996.

⁸Ibid.

⁹Ibid.

¹⁰"An Empirical Evaluation of Pre-Employment Drug Testing in the United States Postal Service: Interim Report on Findings," Drugs in the Workplace: Research and Evaluation Data. National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1989.

¹¹Printing Industries of America, Inc. "Industry Substance Abuse Concerns Highlighted." Human Resources newsletter, March 1990

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