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 One in 12 full-time workers in the United States acknowledges having used illegal drugs in the past month, the government reports "Most of those who report using illicit drugs are employed full-time, with the highest rates among restaurant workers, 17.4 percent, and construction workers, 15.1 percent, according to a federal study being released Monday. About 4 percent of teachers and social service workers reported using illegal drugs in the past month, which was among the lowest rates." Read Full Story. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article Nationwide Survey Shows Most Illicit Drug Users and Heavy Alcohol Users Are in the Workplace and May Pose Special Problems Most of the nation’s approximately 16.4 million current illicit drug users and approximately 15 million heavy alcohol users hold full-time jobs, according to a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The study, Worker Substance Use and Workplace Policies and Programs, shows that substance use can pose significant risks to workers' health and productivity. The report also says that workers who use illicit drugs are less likely than nonusers to be employed by companies that have drug or alcohol testing policies and programs. Read Full Story. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article Report: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Not Caused by Workplace Computer Use Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by the compression of the median nerve in the wrist. This compression may occur because of heredity, body weight, fracture, or even pregnancy -- but not computer use, concludes a new Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. Read Full Story. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article Spiraling Out of Control: 5 ways to Reduce Workers' Compensation Claims One of the biggest expenses affecting small businesses is workers' compensation insurance, which covers expenses associated with injuries to employees while on the job. In fact, 33 percent of small business owners identified workers' compensation as a critical problem in 2004, according to the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB). Read Full Story. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article Study: 15 Percent of U.S. Work Force Under the Influence of Alcohol On-the-job alcohol use and impairment affects about 19.2 million people . roughly one in six U.S. workers . according to a recent study. The study, conducted by the University of Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions, estimates that 2.3 million workers (1.8 percent of the work force) have consumed alcohol at least once before coming to work and 8.9 million workers (7.1 percent of the work force) have drank alcohol at least once during the workday. Most workers who drink during the workday do so during lunch breaks, though some drink while working or during other breaks, according to the study. Read Full Story. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article OHG Medical Director Discusses Carpal Tunnel Syndrome at ASIA Conference  OHG’s Medical Director, Dr. James Gauthier, was a guest presenter at the recent ASIA (Alabama Self-Insurers Association) Conference in Sandestin, FL., on August 15. OHG would like to thank the ASIA staff for the hospitality shown at the conference, and our compliments on a successful seminar. If you are interested in being notified of future speaking events or seminars presented or co-presented by OHG, as well as receive our quarterly newsletter, you may do so by clicking here, http://www.ohgonline.org/cgi-bin/newsletter2.pl, and completing the requested information. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article Job Stress Linked to Increased Inflammation Workers with high job stress have elevated levels of one laboratory marker of inflammation, according to a study in the September Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM). The results add to recent evidence that increased inflammation could be the pathway by which high stress leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, suggests a group of Belgian researchers led by Els Clays, M.Sc., of Ghent University. Read Full Story. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article Obesity rates grow, Alabama has biggest gain The obesity epidemic isn't winding down -- in fact, it's expanding, according to state rankings released August 23 by Trust for America's Health, a nonprofit health advocacy group. Residents of Alabama had the largest increase in obesity in the three-year period. The group says that overall, the percentage of obese adults in the United States grew from 22 percent to 22.7 percent from 2002 to 2004. Alabama's increase was 1.5 percentage points to 27.7 percent. Read Full Story. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article Drug improves sleep problems of shift workers A drug that treats the uncontrollable sleepiness of narcolepsy can also help the 300,000 to 600,000 Americans who face chronic fatigue and sleep problems from working overnight shifts, according to a study released Wednesday. Read Full Story. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article Employee Drug and Alcohol Testing Handbook from DOT The Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy Compliance (ODAPC) of the Department of Transportation (DOT) has recently made available a free employee handout regarding the rules and regulations governing DOT drug and alcohol testing. Written in simplified language, it deals with issues of importance to covered employees... Read Full Story. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article Workers Compensation Claim Frequency Down Again The decline in claim frequency for workers compensation injuries has continued into 2004—good news for workers, employers, and their insurers... Read Full Story. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article Reducing the Risk of Manual Materials Handling Tasks such as carrying boxes or lifting crates lead to hundreds of thousands of injuries a year. Here are some steps you can take to assess the risks in your workplace and reduce this costly occupational hazard... Read Full Story. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles
Leaders: Making the Business Case for Integrated Health and Wellness During lean times, EHS director David Eherts convinced senior management at Purdue Pharma LP they would save money by spending almost $1 million for new onsite clinics. Eherts was right – and he's just beginning... Read Full Story. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article CDL Test Centers to open in Decatur, Alabama The state Department of Public Safety is consolidating services for commercial driver's license applicants in the area by opening testing centers in Cullman and Decatur. Read Full Story. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article Treatment Admissions Increase for Methamphetamine and Narcotic Pain Medications in 2003 New data released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration show admissions to substance abuse treatment involving methamphetamine and narcotic pain medications increased sharply from 2002 to 2003... Read Full Story. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article All Americans Urged to Get Flu Shots U.S. health officials issued a plea Wednesday for the young and old alike to get their annual flu shots, but a new government survey suggests the American public might need some convincing. Read Full Story | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article Heat Stroke, Skin Cancer Chief Concerns in Summer The [Skin Cancer] Foundation estimates that at least 100,000 cancer cases and 60,000 cancer deaths can be prevented each year in the United States with early detection. Read Full Story | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles
| Next News Article Employers Encouraged to Recognize April as Alcohol Awareness Month Workplace alcohol use and impairment affect an estimated 15 percent of the U.S. workforce, or 19.2 million workers, according to the result of a recent study by the University at Buffalo.s Research Institute on Addictions. Read Full Story | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles
| Next News Article Report Determines Cost of Methamphetamine Use in Benton County, Arkansas; Could Have National Implications In a report entitled, "The Economic Impact of Methamphetamine Use in Benton County, Arkansas," the University of Arkansas' Center for Business and Economic Research at the Sam M. Walton College of Business finds that meth-addicted employees cost each business just under $47,500 per year. About 50 percent of that cost is due to increased absenteeism and another 32 percent is due to lost productivity. Read Full Story | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention Workers in many different occupations are at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens, including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS. First aid team members, housekeeping personnel in some settings, and nurses are examples of workers who may be at risk of exposure. Read Full Story. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article OHG Kicks Off a New Wellness Program for CAS, Inc.
| Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article OHG To Provide On-Site Nurse Practitioner Services To Adtran Occupational Health Group (OHG) will provide on-site Nurse Practitioner services to Adtran, effective June 1, 2005. The program will provide occupational and primary care services to Adtran employees, as well as the development of Wellness related initiatives designed to assist Adtran in reducing healthcare related costs. OHG is proud to partner with Adtran to assist in the increased wellness of its employees and the reduction of total healthcare costs at Adtran. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles | Next News Article OHG Partners With DIRECTV Occupational Health Group (OHG) is providing on-site nursing services to DIRECTV. DIRECTV’s Huntsville operation provides call-center services and is located on 400 Diamond Drive. OHG is providing limited occupational nursing services, case management, and assistance with future Wellness initiatives to DIRECTV. | Return to News Articles | Return to News Articles OHG Wellness Services Kicks Off a New Wellness Program  On February 17th, OHG Wellness Services kicked off a new wellness
program for the Municipal Utility Board (MUB) of Albertville. Their
wellness program is entitled MUB: Making Us Better. Approximately 80
employees attended the kick-off celebration where they learned about
the year’s upcoming events, which include health risk appraisals,
health screenings and wellness classes.  OHG Wellness Services offers a full "menu" of services to the business
community. On-site screenings and wellness programs can be customized to
meet your business's unique needs. If you would like more information,
contact Wellness Services at (256) 922-6699 or by email at jennifel@hgala.org. | Return to News Articles | |
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