As Australian businesses tackle the challenges of bringing employees back to work after COVID-19 restrictions, it is timely to remember the importance of alcohol and drug testing in the workplace. The reality is alcohol and other drug-related problems can occur in any workplace and it is widely acknowledged that the financial and personal costs arising from this misuse are high.
One in 10 Australian employees say they have been affected by a colleagues use of alcohol or drugs in the workplace resulting in lost productivity, involvement in an accident or near-miss, or having to work extra hours to cover for a co-worker. The ‘Australian Alcohol and Drug Foundation’ estimates alcohol and drugs cost Australian workplaces an estimated $6 billion in lost productivity each year.
Alcohol and other drugs (AOD) can cause serious problems for any business – from the tragic loss of life to injury, damage to plant and equipment, and can lead to costly legal action if safe working procedures weren’t implemented correctly. To avoid incidents, a clearly set out AOD policy with precise measures to take, in terms of safety and health risks arising from alcohol and drugs, will reduce risks to both employees and employers. And that policy should be rigorously implemented using world-class testing products.
AOD testing isn’t designed to penalise workers but rather keep them safe. In October 2019 ABC Online quoted employment and safety lawyer, David Dilger, saying, “Now we’re seeing modern alcohol and other drugs policies that are more to do with work health and safety rather than penalising anyone. It’s a sort of a breach of the worker’s own duty, because why wouldn’t you participate in a regime set up by the employer to make sure people are safe in the workplace?”
Annually more than 4% of Australians go to work affected by alcohol and 2% go to work affected by illicit drugs. In addition, equal caution should be given to the misuse of prescription drugs.
Andrew Ermer from ‘Australian Industry Group’ reported recently that:
• 10% of workplace deaths were drug or alcohol-related
• 20-25% of workplace accidents were drug or alcohol-related
• and crucially, that 61 % of people reporting frequent use of drugs and/or alcohol were in full-time employment