Gabrielle Shaffer

Painkillers in the Workplace: An Epidemic That Must Be Taken Seriously
There￢ﾀﾙs a new enemy in the workplace and it's costing employers billions￢ﾀﾔover $1.4 billion in fact. Prescription painkillers. These painkillers not only cost employers money, but time, productivity, and sadly, sometimes their staff. This epidemic cannot be taken lightly. Major changes need to be made to stop prescription painkillers from taking over the workplace.
What exactly is going on?
All too often, employees are getting injured on the job. These injuries can be minor or major, but they all seem to be treated the same way by the doctors who see them. Frequently, minor injuries are now treated with medication that is much too strong for these types of injuries. According to New York Times reporter Barry Meier, doctors have been overprescribing heavy duty narcotics to help alleviate back pain when there is no evidence of long term pain relief. In just seven years, narcotic prescriptions have jumped 63 percent as the means to treat workplace injuries. Employers are not watching out for the well-being of their employees, both in respect to risk management and checking up on them during the treatment process. And this overprescribing of narcotics is leading to many problems in the workplace, for both employees and employers.
So how is the workplace affected?
Narcotic prescriptions are costing employers money, time, and often, employees. The workplace suffers as a whole and in separate ways. First, prescription painkillers cost an employer an obscene amount of money. Workplace insurers are spending $1.4 billion on narcotics or opioids alone. According to Meier, it has been found that an average workplace injury costs about $13,000. When prescribed a drug such as Percocet, it triples to $39,000, and when prescribed an even stronger drug, such as Oxycotin, it triples again to $117,000. Employers are also losing money from having to pay for sick leave and disability. Narcotics can often cause employees to be out of work for an extended period of time. The longer the employee is out, the more money sick leave and disability costs an employee.
Second, employee productivity is hampered due to prescription painkillers. Narcotics delay an employee￢ﾀﾙs return to work, causing their job to not get completed in a timely manner. When an employee does return to work, the medicine often leaves them feeling lethargic and unable to complete their assignments with a clear mindset. Sometimes employees never even return to work. This could be a result of the injury becoming a debilitating disability, or in more extreme cases, as a result of a drug overdose. Narcotics are extremely addictive drugs and sadly, many employees who are prescribed them often become addicted. In the face of addiction, overdoses are all too commonplace.
And lastly, the employee often suffers more from the painkillers than from the injury itself. Not only can they become addicted, but frequently they face chronic pain down the road, and difficult treatments can ensue afterwards. Employees become unable to focus at work, thinking only about the pain and relieving it with painkillers, and employers see an increase in presenteeism.
What can be done to stop the workplace from being harmed?
In order to stop the workplace from suffering due to prescription painkillers, it is evident that changes must be made. Doctors need to stop overprescribing patients. Lower dosages and less powerful medications can be prescribed for the majority of workplace injuries. Also, employers and coworkers need to be looking for red flags that an employee may be suffering from an opiate addiction. According to the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, these red flags can include:

Absenteeism and on-the-job absenteeism. This is when an employee will call out from work, take longer and more frequent breaks, come in to work late, and will often be 'missing in action.￢ﾀﾙ
High accident rate. An employee will be clumsy and unfocused and will disregard standards.
Difficulty concentrating and confusion.
Inconsistent work patterns.
Reduced knowledge/technical skills. The employee is no longer staying on top of his game and is noticeably less productive.
Change in behavior and attitudes. Employee behaves inappropriately and may become emotional at times and withdrawn at other times.
Lower job quality and productivity.

And finally, employers must implement risk management programs to help ensure that their employees are not injured on the job in the first place. Depending on the occupation, this can be done in numerous ways. For example, desk workers are at risk for a number of injuries when they spend the majority of the day sitting. Most common injuries include headaches, neck, shoulder, and back pain. Companies that employ desk workers should look to institute a program that encourages employee movement throughout the day. Whether with a lunchtime walking program, the enforcement of walking office meetings, or an hourly stretch program, workplace injuries (and the many costs associated with them) will become few and far between.
How does your company employ a risk management program, if any? We would love to hear from you in the comments below. And if you have any questions about our risk management wellness program, feel free to contact us!
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/health/painkillers-add-costs-and-delays-to-workplace-injuries.html?_r=0
http://blog.aimnet.org/AIM-IssueConnect/bid/79739/Epidemic-of-Addiction-to-Painkillers-Seeps-into-the-Workplace
http://blog.themovementonline.net/blog/bid/331106/Painkillers-in-the-Workplace-A-New-Epidemic