Stericycle Partners with the National Safety Council to Release the NSC Employer Toolkit Addressing Opioids in the Workplace
Stericycle, Inc. ? a leading provider of complete compliance-based, safe medication and sharps disposal solutions ? has joined the National Safety Council (NSC) as the exclusive launch partner for the new NSC toolkit that employers can use to address the opioid crisis.
A survey released by NSC earlier this year indicated 75% of employees have been directly impacted by opioid misuse, but just 17% feel extremely well prepared to address it. Among the resources employers requested for the toolkit are sample policies, videos or other interactive web tools, and workplace- or industry-specific data and statistics.
In answer to that call, Stericycle has partnered with NSC to launch its free Opioids at Work Employer Toolkit, unveiled today by Stericycle President and CEO Cindy Miller alongside NSC President and CEO Lorraine M. Martin; VADM Jerome M. Adams, U.S. Surgeon General; Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor Loren Sweatt; Office of National Drug Control Policy Assistant Director Kemp Chester; U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation President Carolyn Cawley; and Rex Butler, a safety professional and advocate who lost his brother to an opioid overdose. The Opioids at Work Employer Toolkit is the first toolkit with a focus on safety and includes information and resources for four specific groups found in a typical workplace setting: supervisors, human resource (HR) professionals, safety professionals and employees.
"As the official launch partner of the Opioids at Work Employer Toolkit, we are proud to be a part of a simple, yet innovative, resource for business leaders who are taking steps to help combat the ongoing opioid epidemic in America," Miller said. "Now more than ever, substance use and substance use disorders are affecting employees, workplaces, families and communities. This toolkit gives employers a unique opportunity to identify early warning signs and connect employees to the support they need."
For 30 years, Stericycle has been the complete provider of safe and compliant medication and sharps disposal solutions. Specifically, one of Stericycle's award-winning consumer drug take back solutions, Seal&Send medication mail back envelopes, are included in the toolkit as an available resource for employers to purchase and distribute to employees to combat the opioid epidemic. The envelopes provide a safe, convenient option for consumers to dispose of their unused or expired drugs by filling a pre-addressed envelope with up to eight ounces of pharmaceutical waste and dropping it into any USPS mailbox.
"Two-thirds of American adults with opioid use disorders are in the workforce," Martin said. "Everyone has a role to play in ending opioid overdose, including employers, who are often on the front lines. Organizations big and small will find life-saving information in this new toolkit ? information that not only will help employers protect profits, but most importantly, their people."
More than two dozen resources can be found in the Opioids at Work Employer Toolkit, including educational materials about opioids, prevention, treatment and recovery. The toolkit includes a sample policy for HR professionals to use when updating or creating a drug-free workplace policy; an overview of how impairment impacts safety; a guide for supervisors who need to communicate with employees about opioids; a PowerPoint presentation for company leadership to deliver to staff when the organization is ready to unveil its policy; and a suite of videos, including one from an emergency room doctor explaining how drugs affect the brain. Other relevant data and statistics can be found throughout the materials.
Media can download the kit here. It is available for general download at safety.nsc.org/opioidsatwork.
For more information about Stericycle's involvement with the Opioids at Work Employer Toolkit and its safe disposal solutions, please visit stericycle.com/nsctoolkit.
ABOUT STERICYCLE
Stericycle, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRCL) is a U.S. based business-to-business services company and complete provider of compliant medication and sharps disposal solutions that protect people and brands, promote health and safeguard the environment. Stericycle serves more than one million customers in all 50 U.S. states and 20 countries worldwide with solutions for regulated waste management, secure information destruction, compliance, customer contact, and brand protection. For more information about Stericycle, please visit www.stericycle.com.
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL
The National Safety Council (nsc.org) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to eliminate preventable deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy. Founded in 1913 and chartered by Congress, NSC advances this mission by partnering with businesses, government agencies, elected officials and the public in areas where we can make the most impact.
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