As a smart anthropomorphic dog once said, “The universe is a cruel, uncaring void. The key to being happy isn’t a search for meaning. It’s to just keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense and eventually, you’ll be dead.” And it shows. A recent study indicates that 80% of Indiana employers affected by prescription drug related issues.
- Over 75% of Indiana officials agree that prescription drug abuse is reason enough for firing
- Two thirds of Indiana employers view prescription drug abuse as a bigger issue than illegal drug abuse
- Almost one in four employers claim they have employees that borrow or sell prescription drugs at work
- Only 52% of employers test for prescription drug use
- Indiana is the first state in which such a poll has been taken
The National Safety Council was busy from May until August of this year with a poll that yielded some pretty concerning results.
Out of the 200 interviewed employers, 80% claim to have been affected by prescription drug use. 20 percent have reported an injury or a near injury related to prescription drugs, and 60 percent report their employees use prescription painkillers at work.
40 percent of employers report an employee missed time at work due to the issue, and 35 percent declared an employee’s work impaired due to prescription drugs.
Even though many of the reported cases could very well be legitimate, as an enormous number of Americans are taking prescription meds, this doesn’t change the situation very much.
It is reported that a large number of Americans do not know that when a prescription drug warns against using heavy machinery, it also refers to their personal vehicle.
This is a serious situation, and not only for employers, which could actually end up paying less after sending the employee to rehab, than to actually fire an employee who needs to be on their prescription medication.
These are some concerning statistics, seeing as last month a study showed 27% of Americans to be addicted or to know someone addicted to prescription painkillers. Following last month’ study, officials started blaming each other over the nation’s problems, and nothing was resolved.
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