Monday, June 8, 2009

DRUG TESTING IS CRUCIAL DURING TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES

Now, more than ever, it is crucial that you hire the most effective, productive employee possible. 

Consider these statistics:

• Drug Users are 3.6 times more likely to injure themselves or another person in a workplace accident (National Institute on Drug Abuse).
• A substance abuser uses 16 times more sick leave than a non-abuser (The American Council for Drug Education).
• Substance abusers file three to five times more workers' compensation claims than the average employee and account for 38 percent to 50 percent of all claims (National Drug Free Workplace Alliance).
• 64% of all accidents on the job are directly or indirectly related to substance abuse in the workplace (Texas Business Today).
• During these tough economic times, it is crucial to have the most effective, reliable drug test available.

Drug testing using hair has many advantages over urine testing. Beyond eliminating the common tactics that drug abusers use (adulterants, substitution, and dilution), hair testing removes the most common tactic of abstaining from use a few days before the test. Clients who use a hair test like Psychemedics typically identify 5 to 10 times more drug abusers then when they used urinalysis as their test of choice. For companies that choose hair analysis as their drug testing method, the games are over.

This presentation features Richard Clay (Psychemedics Corporation) and Larry McElroy (retired from DOW CHEMICAL).  They will cover the differences between drug testing technologies, the advantages/disadvantages of each technology and how companies like DOW have improved their drug testing program by changing technologies. Come learn about the benefits of hair testing from DOW’s perspective.

This presentation will focus on best practices in automation solutions such as: Field Mobility Solutions/Operator Rounds, Smart Procedures, Safe Operating Envelopes/Limits, PSM Cockpits & Operational Excellence Dashboards, Management of Change & Corrective Actions, Work Permits, and Real-Time Analytics & Data Aggregation. Examples from real plants will be given.

Many companies have refocused their efforts on improving PSM performance, yet continue to struggle with managing risks. While PSM touches most facets of plant life, it is implemented in a departmental silo in reactive fashion. OSHAs new focus on PSM through its NEP auditing effort is creating new concerns for organizations as PSM is moving away from a guideline-based standard to prescriptive. As such, corporations need to think of PSM as a continuous improvement type initiative that requires a much more complex data management approach to ensure compliance assurance. This presentation will examine ways in which companies can deal with a Good Engineering Practices in moving toward an asset-based approach to PSM.

During tough economic times, you cannot afford to allow stress to debilitate your employees. As a result of this presentation, you will be able to:

1. Identify issues/situations that cause stress in the workplace
2. Recognize how stress affects the safety and health of employees
3. Identify strategies and actions that may be implemented by employees (safety managers, human resource managers, and supervisors) to help:

• Prevent Stress in the workplace
• Help employees cope with work-related stress.