Greetings and salutations! Another great day in the wide world of safety, said no one ever, LOL. Not many people even like the subject of safety, but it is extremely popular among safety people. It’s kind of like when engineers get together and tell engineer jokes, when no one understands the jokes except for engineers. When you get safety engineers together, whoa, let the good times roll.
On a more serious note, I would like to broach the subject of a constant contributor of unsafe acts, behaviors, and even unsafe conditions. The topic falls under health and safety and it presents problems with all demographics, from blue collar to white collar. Not only does it affect the oilfield but society as a whole. The topic is drug and alcohol abuse. Whether we like it or not, we are losing the drug war. Just “say no” to drugs—this slogan didn’t work then and it’s not working now. Chemical dependency is much stronger than it has ever been before.
I had one safety person that I worked with that had an extensive background in law enforcement. Interestingly enough, he had a huge sense of humor and a great outlook on life. I found that statement a bit ironic in the sense he had seen some horrible things and some form of tragedy on a regular basis. Yet he was always able to find humor in the weirdest times and places. Here is why I have this particular lead in: One day, as he was addressing a rather large crowd regarding safety in the oilfield, he made this rather bold unexpected statement regarding drugs in the workplace. He said, “If the use of drugs made you work faster, smarter, safer, more efficient, and cause you to have great judgement, the companies you work for would provide them.”
He went on to say, “BUT THEY DON’T.” Of course he was being facetious, but it caught everyone off guard and there was nervous laughter throughout the crowd and some nervous eye contact as well. Then he said there would be drug collections at the exits at the conclusion of the presentation. It got quiet and then he broke out laughing.
There are numerous studies out regarding drug abuse in the workplace. Most of the studies of accidents hover around the 33 percent level, as to whether or not drugs and/or alcohol were a factor. I tend to think that may be a bit conservative. Most successful companies have an aggressive collection program with trained personnel in reasonable suspicion and awareness programs. They also spend an adequate amount of time and due diligence on background checks. This is one area where Human Resources can provide “up to date” guidance. Now that the oilfield is slowing down just a bit, employers can be more selective in the hiring process.
In today’s times, it is more difficult to stay ahead of the game with a drug free workplace. It’s not like the old days when you could just tell if a person was high on something and you could let them go, just on an instinct. The whole process has become litigation driven. Companies have to have written policies, proper training, and a program that complies with governmental entities, without sacrificing privacy and individual rights. The drug world is more aggressive in drugs and has innovative ways of evading detection. I used to subscribe to the magazine High Times to try to stay on top of the latest ways of deception by the users, until my wife said it was embarrassing to receive that magazine. Now I laugh when I think about it and how it looked. It was not one of my better ideas.
It is a sign of the times when states start legalizing pot. It is a sign of the times when some doctors prescribe drugs like Pez dispensers as a prophylactic measure for pain. I know, or feel, that such activities are few and far between; however, it is more prevalent than it used to be. Now there are the illegal drugs crossing borders, drugs being shipped in, and drugs being flown in, with virtually no controls. Drivers are driving under the influence of drugs every day. That’s not a new concept. Truck drivers used to take “uppers” to stay alert and “downers” to come off the high and get some rest. Today the drug business is far more rampant, sophisticated, and complex.
So, detailed below are some general proactive measures that can reduce and minimize drug issues in the workplace:
• Incorporate an aggressive random drug test program. Many smaller companies have gone to third party collection companies to administer the collections to help reduce liability.
• Train Supervisors in “Reasonable Suspicion.” This keeps the supervisors up on the latest and the greatest things to observe and how to document.
• Offer an SAP program—a Substance Abuse Program. Not everyone on drugs wants to be on drugs but they don’t know the way out.
• Have an aggressive Post Accident drug testing policy.
• Utilize lockdowns and drug sniffing dogs.
• Utilize Background checks and thorough reference checks.
• As in any other workplace, whether it’s in the field or in the office, be aware of your surroundings.
Some of the suggestions may be expensive. My question is, how expensive is insurance, loss of a customer, loss of contracts, or loss of lawsuits? The drug issue is getting worse every day and not just in our industry. Ask a professional Safety Consultant. Speak to professionals who deal with drug users every day. Speak with law enforcement. It stops with us. I hope this gets you thinking of ways to stay on top of your game. The suggestions are generalizations, merely to spawn new thinking. This war is real. Until next month, be safe out there.
It’s not how many hits you have in baseball, it’s how many times you safely reach home.
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Dusty Roach is a safety professional based in Midland. He is also a public speaker on subjects of leadership and safety, and he maintains a personal website at dustyroach.com.