How Opioids Are Quietly Affecting The Productivity of Your Team
Prescription opioid use is quietly becoming a major workplace safety issue. Sometimes, it can be what’s in the medicine cabinet that is the problem.
If you are a business owner or an HR/ Safety Manager, it will affect your people, your policies, and your productivity. And with industries like construction, transportation, and healthcare seeing the highest number of on-the-job overdose deaths, it’s not a problem that can be ignored.
How Opioid Use Is Impacting the Workplace
The CDC and NIOSH report that most workplace drug overdose deaths involve opioids. Between 2011 and 2016, more than 100 overdose deaths occurred in construction, transportation, and warehousing alone. Many of these began with a legitimate injury and a prescription intended to manage pain.
But even when used as prescribed, opioids can:
- Cause sleepiness and dizziness
- Slow physical movement and thought processing
- Impair coordination and judgment
- Increase the risk of falls, car accidents, and poor decision-making
Employers are often not aware that these side effects show up on job sites, in delivery trucks, and behind machinery every day.
It’s Not Just a Health Problem It’s a Business Problem
The National Safety Council found that 75 percent of employers say opioids have impacted their workplace. That’s three out of four. But only 17 percent feel prepared to deal with the issue.
This is mostly because the signs aren’t always obvious. Employees may be taking doctor-prescribed opioids, or even benzodiazepines for anxiety or sleep, without realizing the risk they pose while working. It’s legal, but still dangerous.
The result? More injuries, lower productivity, and greater legal exposure for the company.
Workplace Factors That Worsen the Problem
Job conditions can make the situation worse. According to the CDC, the following workplace factors are often linked to opioid misuse:
- Physically demanding labor, like lifting or repetitive motion
- Slips, trips, and falls
- Long hours, rotating shifts, and job-related fatigue
- High stress, job insecurity, or poor supervision
These issues don’t just increase injury risk. They increase the chance an employee will be prescribed opioids in the first place.
What HR and Safety Managers Can Do
The CDC recommends taking these proactive steps:
- Educate your team on the risks of prescription drug use
- Identify and address workplace hazards that lead to injury
- Train supervisors to recognize signs of impairment
- Offer access to resources for treatment and recovery
- Consider adding naloxone to your safety program
And when it comes to testing and policy? That’s where Fastest Labs of Meridian comes in.
How Fastest Labs of Meridian Supports Employers in the Treasure Valley
As your local partner for drug and alcohol testing, we help you address opioid misuse with fast, accurate, and confidential support. Here’s how we help Idaho businesses stay protected:
- Rapid Drug Testing – From pre-employment to random and post-accident, our Meridian lab offers walk-in and mobile testing with same-day results.
- Policy Guidance – We’ll help review or build a drug-free workplace policy that addresses both illegal use and prescription drug concerns.
- Onsite Testing – No need to send employees off-site. We bring testing to your location across Boise, Nampa, Eagle, and the rest of the Treasure Valley.
- Education and Training Tools – Equip your managers with what they need to act confidently and fairly when faced with possible opioid misuse.
Opioid misuse can be showing up in your workforce right now.
Partner with Fastest Labs of Meridian to make and implement the right strategy and support for your team.
Call us today at (208) 314-3833 or visit us at fastestlabs.com/meridian