What employers can do:

In a recent survey by the National Safety Council, 71 percent of U.S. employers reported having been affected by employee misuse of prescription medications—including opioids. This included lost productivity, on-the-job errors, and more workers’ compensation claims.

Employers can:

• Create a work environment that supports employees by preventing injuries (and, therefore, associated pain). Consider focusing on areas like ergonomic practices and design, and implementing strong safety protocols.
• Design employee health coverage to include benefits for care that helps with pain management and injury prevention. Consider complementary or alternate therapies.
• Know the possible signs of opioid misuse, such as showing up to work late, decreased attention to hygiene, an uptick in absenteeism, missed deadlines, or other indications of poor performance. These signs may not indicate a problem but do warrant a conversation (per your company’s guidelines).
• Educate employees on how to dispose of unused medications via drug take-back kiosks.
• Create awareness about how to spot signs at home and how to get help. Post this infographic on your work bulletin board.
• Fill out the form above to request BCBSAZ brochures about the steps to prevent opioid misuse and addiction. You can place them in employee break rooms or new employee packets.
• Find more opioid-related resources on injury prevention and healthy worksite resources by visiting the Arizona Department of Health Services.