Managing drug and alcohol misuse in the workplace
All employers have a legal duty to protect their employees health, safety and welfare. You need to be able to identify the signs of drug and alcohol misuse and be able to manage the health and safety risk that this could pose in the workplace.
What do we need to do?
Develop a Policy to deal with drug and alcohol-related problems
Train Managers and Supervisors so they can identify the signs of drug and alcohol misuse
Consult with your employees, provide information about the effects of drugs and alcohol
Support staff who ask for help and encourage them to get help from their GP or a drug and alcohol specialist
What do we need to look out for?
Staff having frequent and unexplained absences
Staff showing changes in their behaviour
Attitude towards other members of staff
An increase in accidents or near-misses
Staff performance
Other things to consider
Are staff operating machinery, working at height or driving for work
Do you want to implement a screening and testing for drugs and alcohol
Additional information can be found at the following:
Alcohol support services | Drinkaware
Drugs and driving: the law - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Honest information about drugs | FRANK (talktofrank.com)
For more support on Managing drug and alcohol misuse at work, contact our team