The largest business group in the state has put together a free online toolkit for any employer who’s dealing with opioid problems in the workplace – showing just how serious the epidemic is to businesses in Ohio.
The opioid toolkit offered by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce includes a series of videos and resources for employers trying to help workers addicted to prescription painkillers, heroin or fentanyl. Dee Mason with Working Partners of Central Ohio, which provides drug-free workplace programs, says the state lost 2,500 adults aged 25-64 from the workforce just in last year alone,.
And “workers with pain medication disorders are costing them twice as much in turnover costs and three times as much in health care costs.”
The toolkit includes an online course for employees on the safe use of prescription drugs. It’s funded by the foundation affiliated with painkiller distributor Cardinal Health, which is being sued by the state.
