MSHA ADDRESSES SUBSTANCE ABUSE ISSUES IN WORKPLACE

Thursday, area business supervisors had the opportunity to learn more about
substance abuse in the work place. Mountain States Health Alliance's,
Employee Advisory Program (EAP) provided information on the issue. MSHA
supervisors met in Sycamore Shoals Hospital's Pine Room to learn more about
their roles in dealing with drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace. "In
today's environment it is a very important topic that we need to cover,
because of work-related injuries ... and decrease in productivity," Scott
Williams, C.E.O. of Sycamore Shoals Hospitals, said. "Substance abuse
across the country is on the rise, not in what we call soft drugs, but what
we call hard drugs like cocaine and heroine." William Hamil, EAP
Coordinator for MSHA, gave insight into managing the effects of substance
abuse at work. The EAP is a company-sponsored benefit that assists
employees with a variety of problems, including, family conflict,
depression, stress, and drug and alcohol abuse. "We know that people use,
and sometimes abuse, alcohol and other drugs, and for a company to pretend
it does not go on is self-defeating to both the employee and the company,"
Hamil said. "We are here to recognize that people sometimes have problems,
and we are giving them permission to get help for their problems." Hamil
provided supervisors with a systematic approach to dealing with employees
with drug abuse problems. He stated that an employer's most important task
when dealing with substance abuse in the workplace is to continue to
monitor job performance. If patterns of substandard job performance
surface, Hamil advised supervisors to take steps toward corrective action.
Tardiness, absenteeism, a decline in the quantity and quality of work, mood
swings, and a decline in personal appearance are all signs of substance
abuse problems, according to Hamil. "Any of these characteristics isolated
by themselves is no big deal, but when you have one after another it might
suggest there is something going on, and it may be that this person has a
problem with alcohol or drugs," Hamil said. The information on substance
abuse is valuable in all working environments. Hamil stated every business
has the opportunity to help their employees, and businesses as a whole, by
educating supervisors on how to deal with drug problems appropriately.
MSHA's Business Advisory Council (BAC), sponsored Thursday's program on
substance abuse. It was the first of many workplace and health-related
programs that will take place in the county. The BAC is planning to hold a
series of programs at Sycamore Shoals throughout the year. Officials would
like to see the entire business community become involved in future health
education programs sponsored by the BAC. They believe business owners and
supervisors in Carter County would benefit from the discussion of their
employees' health related needs. "This is a good avenue to pass along
pertinent health information to our businesses and industries that would
effect productivity and quality," Williams said. "In return, the business
community can talk with us about health needs that they may have." Williams
is looking for businesses and industries in Carter County to develop a
working relationship with the BAC that would result in a healthier
community overall. He believes by paying attention to employee health
needs, businesses can have safer working environments with quicker employee
recovery times. Business owners are invited to contact Williams with any
topic suggestions for future programs. "We want to make sure we are
providing our business community with quality, timely information and any
suggestions would be greatly appreciated," Williams said.