Syracuse firm fights drug & alcohol abuse in the workplace

EAST SYRACUSE--Tom Brokaw reported recently in an NBC News Focus report, "There's a dangerous new trend in this country...an alarming number of Americans are now working under the influence." The U . S . Department of Labor estimates that drug use in the workplace costs American business and industry between $75 and $100 billion annually in lost time, accidents, and healthcare and workers'-compensation costs.

A Syracuse-area company, though, is fighting back. Since September 1994, Syracuse Trailer & Truck Equipment (STS) of East Syracuse--a company that services and repairs trailers and sells and installs truck equipment--has had a drug-free workplace program.

"Drug and alcohol abuse simply is not tolerated at STS," says Anne Bespiaty, the company's office manager. "A drug-free workplace program is clearly good for business, but that wasn't the determining factor for us. We were concerned about the safety of our employees. Drug- or alcohol-impaired workers are dangerous, to themselves and to others."

STS, which has some 50 employees, has a three-pronged drug-free workplace program. Pre-employment drug testing is mandatory. STS also tests current workers randomly. And finally, STS tests workers involved in any accidents that cause injury or damage to property or equipment.

Bespiaty says STS employees have no problem with the drug policy. "It's just part of being employed here. The vast majority are not drug or alcohol abusers, anyway. They think it's a good thing."

Although STS began its drug-/alcohol-free policy under another insurance carrier, Bespiaty praised the company's present workers'-compensation insurance carrier--Great American Insurance Companies of Cincinnati, Ohio--because of its proactive stance. "Our other carrier would just pay up on workers'-comp claims. Great American worked with us to prevent the claims in the first place," notes Bespiaty. "They stand behind us in our drug-free workplace program."

Great American established a model Drug-Free Workplace Program in 1993. The company offers its policyholders assistance with development of their own policies; education and training through on-site seminars, videos, and manuals; a drug- and alcohol-testing program in conjunction with a national vendor; resources for the business's Employee Assistance Program (EAP); and ongoing consultation.

The insurance company also offers a five-percent workers'-comp premium credit in states where it is allowed--and New York state is one of them. Bespiaty notes, "We didn't begin the program because of that, but it certainly has made a big difference in our insurance costs."

At STS, the formal, written drug/alcohol policy includes:

* The purpose for which the program was instituted.

* A specific statement of the company's position on drugs and alcohol in the workplace.

* Which employees are subject to testing. At STS, all employees, including management, are tested before hiring and on a random basis.

* The testing procedure.

* Cutoff levels applied to the test results for alcohol and drugs, and a list of drugs that will be tested for.

* The way in which test results will be treated. This includes preserving the confidentiality of the information and an opportunity for the employee to present any medical explanation of the presence of drugs.

* Sanctions applied in the event of a positive test result or refusal to give a sample for testing.

For all the years of its drug/alcohol testing program, STS has contracted with Industrial Medical Associates, P.C. on Canal Street in Syracuse to conduct its testing. Industrial Medical is a 12-year-old firm that, in addition to drug and alcohol testing, provides medical treatment of on-the-job injuries and illnesses, workers'-compensation disability management, and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) testing and other specialty examinations.

James B. Rosier, executive director of Industrial Medical, explains the detailed procedure the firm uses to test for the presence of alcohol and drugs: "There are three steps----collection, analysis, and report. Before collection, we require the person being tested to sign off--giving us permission to report the results. We have an elaborate procedure, called chain-of-custody, to track the handling and storage of each specimen from the time of collection to its final disposition.

"Analysis employs a two-step screening procedure. In the event of a positive result, a second confirmatory test is performed. Results are reported to a physician, appointed by the company, who is experienced in drug and alcohol analysis. If the results are positive, the physician verifies the testing process, then calls the individual and asks if there is a medical reason for the positive result. The physician then checks with the employee's physician and pharmacist to verify the medical reason."

Rosier adds if there is a medical reason, the physician reports the test results to the company as simply negative."

To keep results confidential, Bespiaty confirms that only the general manager and operations manager at STS are given the test results.

Positive specimens are frozen and kept on file at Industrial Medical for a year. "In the 11 years I've been here," says Rosier, "I've never seen a change of results on the second test (that is, a false positive). Our method is refined and secure."

Thus far this year the Canal Street firm, which employs 20, has performed 15,000 drug tests for such companies as Niagara Mohawk Power Corp., Bristol-Myers Squibb, New Venture Gear, and Anheuser Busch. Also, the city of Syracuse and Onondaga, Cayuga, and Madison counties contract with the firm for drug and alcohol testing.

Most Fortune 200 companies--98 percent--have already taken antidrug-abuse steps. But 80 percent of America's work force is employed in small businesses, few of which have antidrug policies or programs. Nationwide, only three percent of companies with fewer than 100 employees conduct drug tests.

But there are signs of change. "Smaller companies like STS are getting much more involved," says Great American Divisional Vice President Mike Sullivan. "Businesses of all sizes are now seeing the depth of the drug-abuse problem and how it affects their own bottom lines. In the past, smaller firms shied away from proactive programs because they didn't recognize the scope of the drug problem or just plain didn't understand how to combat it."

But, as Bespiaty says, "For the safety of the employees and for the times we're living in, STS felt it was something it needed to do."

"By adopting a drug-free workplace program," says Sullivan, "small and medium-sized businesses are not only discouraging abuse among the current work force but also dissuading potential abusers from coming to work for them in the first place."

Bespiaty confirms this. "I've been here four years, and in that time I can remember only one person who, when told that a drug test was required for employment, didn't take the test. And he just never showed up."

Looking ahead, Sullivan believes drug-free workplace programs for companies like East Syracuse's STS will become more important and necessary than ever before. The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse reported that the use of drugs among 12- to 17-year-olds rose 78 percent from 1992 to 1995. In a decade, these youngsters will be America's work force.

Opponents of workplace drug and alcohol testing claim that the tests may be just a way for employers to exert more control over their employees' lives. But Bespiaty remarks, "Drugs control people. We want to help our employees take control of their own lives."

Copyright Central New York Business Journal Dec 23, 1996
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved