New Tool Lets Employers Calculate How Much Substance Use Is Costing Them

A new online tool allows employers to calculate how much substance use may be costing their company.

The tool allows employers to enter their industry, location and size. The calculator combines research on employment costs with data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health to calculate how much substance misuse and abuse in the workforce costs employers.

It was developed by National Safety Council, the addiction resource organization Shatterproof and NORC at the University of Chicago, formerly known as the National Opinion Research Center.

An estimated 20.8 million Americans are affected by substance use disorders, according to the Chicago Tribune. Three-quarters of these people are part of the workforce, but most employers are unaware of the hidden costs associated with these problems, the National Safety Council notes on its website.