Are you concerned about your employee’s use of drugs and alcohol and how it may impact on your Tasmanian business? If so, have you thought about implementing drug testing in your workplace?
If safety is important in your workplace you should be concerned about the potential risks of drugs and alcohol. Why? Let’s look at some facts:
- It’s widely agreed that alcohol and drugs can negatively impact workplace safety, productivity and employee health.
- In Australia, around 9% of employees drink alcohol while at work.
- Excessive consumption of alcohol and drugs has been linked to a wide variety of issues that affect the workplace, including accidents, injuries, violence, social isolation and health problems.
- Possession and use of illicit drugs is illegal, and the use of these drugs in the workplace is unacceptable.
Managing drugs and alcohol in the workplace can be a large task, but thankfully there are resources at hand that can help. For example, Worksafe Tasmania has produced a brochure called Alcohol and other drugs, which looks at a range of issues around drug and alcohol management in the workplace.
The brochure lists some starting points to managing drugs and alcohol in your Tasmanian workplace. These include:
- Develop a workplace drug and alcohol policy.
- Identify factors in your workplace that could be contributing to the inappropriate use of alcohol or drugs and address any issues.
- Display information about safety alcohol consumption and the effects of illicit and prescription drugs.
- Educate your employees about your drug and alcohol policy and the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
- Provide support for employees that need help with drugs and / or alcohol.
You should also consider implementing drug testing in your workplace (including pre-employment testing, random testing and testing following accidents or near miss incidents) to reinforce your education and identify employees who aren’t safe to be at work.
More support for drug and alcohol management in Tasmania
Worksafe Tasmania isn’t the only organisation that can help with drug and alcohol management. Integrity Sampling can assist you develop a workplace drug and alcohol policy, educate your workforce, including management and employees, and conduct drug and alcohol testing in your workplace.
We have three branches across Tasmania, including Hobart, Devonport and Launceston. Phone us on 1300 SALIVA or go to our contact page to submit a form to find out more information on our services.
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There is a range of reasons why you should consider conducting drug testing and addressing the issues of drugs and alcohol in your Tasmanian workplace. Credit AD 04 https://bit.ly/2ZGSUUT
