Drug policies don’t affect workplace accident frequency: Study

Workers compensation policies with drug-free workplace program credits did not have lower claim frequency than comparable policies without such credits, according to a study released Tuesday by the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

 

The Boca Raton, Florida-based rating agency studied the effects on accident frequency in 11 states that provide credits to employers with drug-free workplace programs, with credits averaging 5% in most states, according to the report.

 

In analyzing claims data for 2009 to 2016, NCCI also found that there is “no clear pattern at the class code level for the relative frequency of claims for policies with and without drug-free credits,” according to the report.

 

What spurred the study is the widespread legalization of marijuana, both recreational and medical, and its implications for workers compensation, which NCCI says “are still being evaluated.”

 

“One question naturally arises — what are the implications of the legalization of marijuana for WC Drug-Free Workplace safety programs? This question won’t be fully answered until case law evolves further. In the meantime, employers also have continuing concerns about the use of opioids, methamphetamines, cocaine, and other drugs that might impair a worker,” the report states.

 

Included in the study was data from Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia, Idaho, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Kentucky.