You’ve developed your workplace drug and alcohol policy and procedures and you’ve organised one of Integrity Sampling’s Queensland branches to conduct drug and alcohol testing for you. Can you relax, secure in the knowledge that you’re doing all you can to protect your business against drugs and alcohol? Not quite, there’s a key component that you’re not addressing – drug and alcohol education for your Queensland business.
As outlined in Workplace Health and Safety Queensland’s Framework for alcohol and drug management in the workplace, “education and information about the ways in which alcohol and drugs can affect safety and health should form part of every policy.”
Here are some key points from the framework document:
- Provide targeted information and education resources for your employees to help educate them on the dangers of working while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- The education you provide on drugs and alcohol will help contribute to the development of a workplace safety culture where employees recognise and practice appropriate behaviours.
- You should also provide information about support services, programs and assistance available to those employees who need help with drug and alcohol issues. While it may be desirable to provide this assistance in-house, for many businesses using external agencies is appropriate and perfectly acceptable.
- It’s also important to ensure your employees understand your workplace’s policy and procedures relating to drugs and alcohol.
- Don’t just do this once and think you’ve done enough. Ongoing and regular drug and alcohol education is important.
Get help!
It’s also important to educate yourself, as the owner or manager, and get help when you need it.
As a well known Australian used to say on TV, do yourself and favour and read the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland document by going to Framework for alcohol and drug management in the workplace.
The other way to do yourself a favour and get invaluable assistance is to contact Integrity Sampling to discuss your needs. We can help with all aspects of drug and alcohol management, including the development of your policy and procedures, drug and alcohol testing and, of course, education.
See our Queensland page for more information and contact Integrity Sampling by phoning 1300 SALIVA.
