NCJ Number
144612
Date Published
1991
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper explains the need for comprehensive drug prevention efforts in workplaces and suggests ways in which employers can support the development and maintenance of a drug-free workplace based on the principles of health promotion and wellness.
Abstract
The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 has increased awareness of the extent and impacts of drug abuse in the workplace and the need for employee assistance programs or other approaches to prevention and wellness. The law has also increased pressure to expand the responsibility of the workplace from that of providing income and livelihood for its workers to being a model in health living, community responsibility, and leadership. Workplace policies represent a breakthrough in awareness of the role of business in preventing alcohol and other drug problems, but further efforts are needed to truly integrate prevention into the workplace. Community prevention specialists can provide useful assistance in this area. With the information available on risk factors and models of worksite wellness programs, a new model can be created for alcohol and other drug prevention in the workplace. The uniqueness of this model lies in the importance of its integration into the overall lifestyles of employees and community norms, something that an employee drug testing program or a wellness program may not consider. Figure, table, and description of the program of the Bank of America