WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1997 OCT 14 (NB) By Sami Menefee. The US
Department of Labor (DOL) has published its Substance Abuse Information
Database (SAID) on its World Wide Web site. According to a Working Partners
spokesperson, the SAID site is updated daily to keep employers current with
statistics and materials about substance abuse in the workplace.

US Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman said workplace substance abuse is
causing serious safety concerns, both for workers and employers. She sees
the SAID site as a tool to tackle this problem "headon." The site posts
several "factoids" that back up this statement, based on government reports
and studies.

"Working partners is a second part of the SAID effort, and part of the
overall substance abuse outreach program. Most, if not all, of the
materials included in the free kit we send out, are available on the Web
site," said Renee Tajudeen, spokesperson for the program.

Tajudeen said Working Partners would send the kit to any employer who
wanted one. The kit provides training materials and information for
employers to set up a working policy regarding substance abuse. The site
has free information, tips, training programs, and educational materials
collected from various agencies, public and private.

Also, she said the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
(NCADI) sends the kit out with a video included. Call 8007296686 for more
information on the video.

Besides information about all types of substances of abuse, the site posts
state and federal laws about driving while intoxicated (DUI or DWI),
employermandated drug testing, unemployment and workers' compensation
where related to substance abuse prevention policies.

The SAID site also provided employers with a directory of substance abuse
resources, a glossary of substance abuse terms, and summaries of relevant
studies, surveys, reports, and case studies.

"What makes our site unique is the pure fact that we are on the Internet
and we can add new information daily in our 'What's New' section," Tajudeen
said. This section contains listings of new reports, surveys, drug testing
laboratories as the findings are released by the Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS).

She said, "Sometimes we pull out particular results and put them into the
title of that document to let the reader know exactly how it pertains to
the workplace," adding that brand new information stays in "What's New" for
awhile before it goes into the regular section.

Some factoids found on the site (according to US government reports) figure
about 73 percent of illegal drug users in America have and hold down
regular jobs. Those same reports claim alcohol abuse is an even greater
concern to employers, since it has been fingered as the cause for about 500
million lost workdays each year. Workrelated substance abuse problems
(absenteeism, mistakes, injuries, arguments) are reduced when supportive
programs (within the companies) exist.

The Working Partners Initiative aims to help small business employers
recognize and understand how substance abuse can affect the working
environment, other employees, families everyone involved with the person
who abuses chemicals.

"The kit can help employers deal with the problem, or set up a policy
before the problem begins," she added.

"The Working Partners Initiative is one component of the Substance Abuse
Initiative that the DOL's Office of Policy is working on," explained
Tajudeen, who can be reached for more information at 2022196001, ext.
152, or send email to websaid@dol.gov .

The SAID site is at:

http://www.dol.gov/dol/asp/public/programs/drugs/said.htm .

Tajudeen said Working Partners wanted to post stories on the site from
people who had successfully used the kit to set up a workable substance
abuse policy in their businesses.