JAMES WARDEN The Gillette News-Record | Posted: Sunday, December 4, 2005 12:00 am
GILLETTE - Tony is one of the better workers at the Gillette business where he's assistant manager.
Regardless of what happens, Tony seems to be on top of it. Even on Saturdays, he can be found instructing workers, keeping up the books and organizing preparations to ensure everything comes off as planned.
"I pretty much know how everything works here," he said.
A year ago, though, things were different.
Tony, who asked that his last name and company remain confidential, couldn't organize his own life, much less a busy company, back then. Tony is a recovering methamphetamine addict, and both he and the company he works for have paid for his addiction.
Methamphetamine use is growing in Campbell County, and many business owners fear that the drug is hurting an economy already struggling to find workers.
Tony's boss, who also asked that his name not be used, started experiencing this about a year-and-a-half ago. Even though Tony was never high at work, and continued to work well with customers, his performance still took a downward turn.
He started missing work, leaving other employees to pick up the slack. Other times, he'd simply skip out early. Worst of all, Tony stole small items from his boss, a man who trusted him and was friends with his family.
Tony's boss gave him many chances despite his worsening behavior. When things became particularly bad, he gave Tony a week off to straighten up. He was usually fine the first couple days he returned to work, but he would soon slip back into his old habits.
"He had no life, no money," his boss said. "He could end up two ways: dead or in jail. I told him that early, but he was still hooked."
Said Tony: "I knew I had a big enough problem and it was out of control and it screwed up my life."
In the end, Tony forged some checks and was facing jail and a lengthy stint in rehab.
Tony's company is fortunate: It didn't lose a worker permanently. Tony spent 63 days in rehab, and he was rehired just five hours after graduating, despite his past mistakes.
Businesses in the industrial parks just off Warlow Drive are some of the most vulnerable, and perhaps most diligently policed, workplaces.
John Pettyjohn is a contract administrator and safety manager at S&S Builders, one of the many construction-related companies along the road. Construction sites can be dangerous even with alert workers, but Pettyjohn said drug use makes catastrophic accidents much more likely.
Workers must be able to concentrate on essential safety measures, such as properly building a scaffold, but drug addicts simply can't function as well as nonusers, he said.
In addition to problems stemming directly from the drug, secondary effects from too little sleep and improper nourishment can create additional dangers in already hazardous job sites, Pettyjohn said.
The end result is a risk of serious injury even to nonusers and costs that can easily soar above $1 million in the event of an accident. Even companies like S&S with an extensive safety program in place can be hit with rising insurance premiums.
But meth problems aren't limited to heavy-equipment industries, Pettyjohn said. Drug-related theft and lost time, as happened in Tony's case, threaten all businesses, he said.
Health costs are another potential expense. Bradley Howell, a 22-year-old diabetic who is also a recovering meth addict, said he was constantly in the emergency room while he was on drugs because he'd become dehydrated or forget to take his insulin. Hospital visits like these can drive up the fees for company health plans and cost taxpayers when the users are uninsured.
And Pettyjohn worries that first-time employees, previously unexposed to things like meth, can be introduced to drugs through workplaces that tolerate abuse. Industries like fast food that traditionally hire young employees are particularly susceptible to this, he said.
The key is to standardize testing and monitoring, whatever the business.
"It's going to be a long, hard fight," Pettyjohn said. "It's going to take years for everyone to do it the same way."