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. 2004 Feb;39(1):91-110.
doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2004.00217.x.

Do drug-free workplace programs prevent occupational injuries? Evidence from Washington State

Thomas M Wickizer  1 , Branko Kopjar, Gary Franklin, Jutta Joesch
Affiliations

Do drug-free workplace programs prevent occupational injuries? Evidence from Washington State

Thomas M Wickizer et al. Health Serv Res. 2004 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a publicly sponsored drug-free workplace program on reducing the risk of occupational injuries.

Data sources: Workers' compensation claims data from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries covering the period 1994 through 2000 and work-hours data reported by employers served as the data sources for the analysis.

Study design: We used a pre-post design with a nonequivalent comparison group to assess the impact of the intervention on injury risk, measured in terms of differences in injury incidence rates. Two hundred and sixty-one companies that enrolled in the drug-free workplace program during the latter half of 1996 were compared with approximately 20,500 nonintervention companies. We tested autoregressive, integrated moving-average (ARIMA) models to assess the robustness of our findings.

Principal findings: The drug-free workplace intervention was associated (p < .05) with a statistically significant decrease in injury rates for three industry groups: construction, manufacturing, and services. It was associated (p < .05) with a reduction in the incidence rate of more serious injuries involving four or more days of lost work time for two industry groups: construction and services. The ARIMA analysis supported

Conclusions: The drug-free workplace program we studied was associated with a selective, industry-specific preventive effect. The strongest evidence of an intervention effect was for the construction industry. Estimated net cost savings for this industry were positive though small in magnitude.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Two-Quarter Moving Average Injury Rates by Intervention Period and Type of Industry
Figure 1
Figure 1
Two-Quarter Moving Average Injury Rates by Intervention Period and Type of Industry
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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