Small Business Leaders Receive Eye-Opening Information and Training through Drug-Free Workplace Technical Assistance Course

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Working Partners® (www.WorkingPartners.com) Drug-Free Workforce Community Initiative (DFWCI) – a public-private partnership between the state of Ohio and Working Partners® to increase the employable, drug-free workforce in Ohio – recently completed a series of Technical Assistance Training Courses for businesses from 17 Ohio counties. The training enables businesses to establish operational systems to help them prevent and respond to workplace substance abuse issues in a legally-sound and meaningful way.

For many small businesses, finding the financial and personnel resources to implement such a program is challenging.  However, as participants learned, small businesses are not immune from the potential dangers of workplace substance abuse and are typically less equipped to weather the losses that can result.

"We're not part of a big corporation, and we don't have a corporate attorney or safety department to take care of drug and alcohol issues," said Shaun Higgins, Director of Park Operations, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum in Hamilton, Ohio. "If something happens, it's up to me and my management team to take care of it, and we don't have the background or knowledge to do it alone. [With the TA course] I feel we are now as protected as a large company is."

"I keep going back to what I learned in the class – 70% of substance abusers are employed.  It's there and you may not even see it," said Jo Sexton, President, Cambridge Area Chamber of Commerce.  "Businesses of every size have a responsibility to address substance abuse in the community and the workplace. There's a logical, business-minded approach for handling second chances rather than continuing the vicious cycle of sending someone down the road to the next business." 

The course provides education on drug trends impacting the workforce, legal issues impacting a drug-free workplace policy and best practices for operationalizing a program. In addition, participating businesses are positioned for rebates and Safety Grant money for program implementation from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation's Drug-Free Safety Program.

OhioMHAS and Working Partners® have developed a partnership to move the Working Partners® DFWCI forward throughout the state. OhioMHAS provided funding for 17 communities to work with Working Partners® to convene and coordinate stakeholders to assess community needs and develop local action plans to increase the employable drug-free workforce.  

SOURCE Working Partners

Related Links

http://www.workingpartners.com/