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Drug-Free Workplace Promising Practice
An Arizona-based fire safety company has discovered the benefits of
being drug free and is taking steps to encourage other small
businesses to follow suit.
United Fire
Equipment Company
President Daniel Matlick considers his company’s drug-free workplace
policy a key component of overall efforts to ensure the highest
standards of workplace safety and customer service. In fact, his
business is built on safety and service. Family-owned and operated
since 1968, United Fire is an equipment and service supplier to those
charged with protecting the safety of communities. It provides and
maintains fire extinguishers, fire department equipment, basic life
safety equipment, fire suppression systems and water sprinkler systems.
It also has a fire truck repair facility.
Matlick said it
was a sense of responsibility that prompted United Fire to develop its
drug-free workplace policy. Safety is paramount, because the company
serves the men and women that communities depend on in times of crisis.
“We started the program for obvious reasons. We’re in the life safety
business, and we simply have to have a high level of integrity in our
workforce,” Matlick said. “We are an integral link in the chain of
public safety.”
At
the core of United Fire’s drug-free workplace policy is drug testing,
specifically pre-employment screening and post accident. According to
Matlick, both types of testing are effective prevention tools, with
pre-employment screening helping to attract a higher caliber of employee
and post accident serving as a deterrent to current employees. Matlick
does not feel random testing is necessary, but said he would consider
implementing it if an increase in accidents or injuries indicated a
possible problem within the company.
All
United Fire employees are informed of the drug-free workplace policy and
procedures for reporting accidents and injuries during orientation.
Matlick also educates employees about the dangers of drug and alcohol
abuse through informal means, such as bulletin boards and the company’s
intranet. Because many employees are parents, he also includes
information about steps parents can take to help prevent youth substance
abuse. These activities are part of a larger effort to be a
family-friendly employer and encourage healthy lifestyles among
employees. “I’m very much into health, safety and wellness, and this is
all part of that,” he said. Reflecting this dedication, United Fire’s
employee health plan includes coverage for treatment for substance use
disorders.
There was little
resistance when the policy was implemented ten years ago, and most
employees recognize that it protects them as well as the company,
Matlick said.
At
first, the policy was overseen by the company’s combination
comptroller/human resources director. Today it is administered by a
dedicated HR director United Fire brought on board as a result of staff
growth and the increased responsibilities that accompany it. In the
last two decades, United Fire has expanded from eight employees to more
than 60.
Matlick said the drug-free workplace program helps protect his
investment in people. United Fire has its own custom built
applications, and he estimates that it takes about one year for most
people to be fully trained on them. “We’re a unique business, so we
spend a lot of time educating people. Few employees come to United Fire
knowing our business,” he said. “The policy prevents us from hiring
someone who has an obvious drug and alcohol problem and investing a lot
of time and money in them.”
But
Matlick emphasizes that the greatest benefits derived from drug-free
workplace programs are not financial. Alcohol and drug abuse
constitutes a serious workplace safety hazard that can lead to accidents,
injuries and even death.
A certified
firefighter and fire inspector himself, Matlick draws an analogy between
fire safety and drug- and alcohol-abuse prevention. “Fire insurance
cannot always protect a business as well as a good prevention program,”
he said, noting that 43 percent of businesses that suffer a significant
fire never reopen, and among the rest, 29 percent fail within three
years. Likewise, the cost of just one accident caused by an employee
impaired by alcohol or drugs can devastate a small business. According
to Matlick, “It’s like an insurance policy, but it actually has the
power to save a life.” “Insurance can’t ever replace a life, but by
acting wisely, we can prevent one from ever being lost in the first
place,” he said.
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