Goals

The Company aims to:

1. Provide a safe workplace

2. Proactively manage the effects of alcohol and other drugs in the workplace

3. Reduce the personal and professional losses associated with the misuse of alcohol and other drugs

4. Minimise alcohol and other drug-related harm to all employees

5. Provide employees an understanding of the behaviour expected of them during working hours

6. Provide a mechanism to appropriately manage the misuse of alcohol and other drugs through training, education and support

Company Support

The Company recognises that alcohol and drug dependency can be a major health issue and will try to support any employee who endeavours to overcome their problem or condition by providing access to confidential and professional services.

Information, Education and Training

Providing information about alcohol and other drugs contributes towards developing a workplace culture where employees are aware of the potential risks to safety and health and are prepared to encourage each other to work safely.

All employees are to undertake alcohol and other drug awareness training at the time of induction.

Measures

• Increased staff awareness

• Reported incidents

• Drug and Alcohol Testing results

Roles and Responsibilities

Definitions

Drugs
Drugs refers to all legal and illegal substances, including performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs), tobacco, pharmaceutical substances, and illicit drugs and ‘new psychoactive substances’ or ‘synthetic’ drugs. For a comprehensive list of drugs and their street names; see the appendices.

Drug dependency
Drug dependency refers to the regular use of a drug and increased tolerance leading to larger or more frequent doses. This also includes experience of withdrawal when use is reduced or stopped; and a strong desire to take the drug when harm is evident.

Drug use
Drug use refers to consumption of a psychoactive legal or illicit drug or substance whether for recreational or therapeutic purposes.

Misuse of drugs
Misuse of drugs refers to consumption of any prescription medication for reasons other than medically intended. Misuse of legal drugs is prohibited and will not be tolerated.

Under the influence
For the purpose of this policy, an individual who is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs will be deemed to be adversely affected and unfit to perform their duties and responsibilities safely and productively.

A high blood alcohol concentration can lead to:

• risk of incidents

• impaired coordination

• decreased ability to concentrate and communicate

• lack of thoughtful decision making

• impairment of memory and other cognitive functions

• delayed reaction time

An employee will be considered to be under the influence if any of the above symptoms present themselves and no other reasonable explanation is apparent.

Further information on how to determine if an employee is under the influence or impaired by alcohol or drugs is provided in the appendices.

Hangovers
A hangover is the experience of various unpleasant physiological and psychological effects following consumption of alcohol and/or other drugs. The specific effects of hangovers or ‘coming down’ will depend on what and how much was taken and how your body responded. The effects of alcohol and drug use can sometimes last for several days, even with a zero blood alcohol concentration. Hangover symptoms may include but not limited to:

• headaches

• aches and pains

• changes in appetite

• nausea and vomiting

• fatigue, sleepiness and decreased energy

• anxiety, depression, paranoia and panic

• confusion and trouble concentrating

• dehydration

Blood Alcohol Concentration
Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) refers to the amount of alcohol present in the bloodstream. A BAC of 0.05% means that there is 0.05 grams of alcohol in every 100 millilitres of blood. For a more detailed understanding of how alcohol affects your BAC see information contained in the appendices.

Other Documents

• Signs and Symptoms of Impairment

• Alcohol Effects

• Alcohol Guidelines

• Supporting Information

• Problematic Alcohol use

• Event Planning Tips

Signs and Symptoms of Impairment

Managers may not be experts in alcohol or drugs and may feel uncomfortable in assessing whether someone is impaired (fit for work) or not. However in developing an awareness of alcohol, managers will be able to recognise the signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse.

When a person is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, there will be a number of different signs and symptoms that you can look out for.

It is reasonable for a manager to infer that a person may be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs if there is no medical explanation for the presenting symptoms.

As a manager, if you recognise any of these symptoms in a person you suspect may be under the influence, take immediate action as described in the Drug and Alcohol Testing Procedure.

Alcohol Effects

If you have seen someone who has had too much to drink, you’ve probably noticed definite changes in that person’s performance and behaviour. The body responds to alcohol in different stages and in different ways. Below are some examples of how an individual may be affected by alcohol.

* This is only a guide. Everyone will be affected by alcohol differently and their reaction will vary depending on how quickly they consume the alcohol, and their body size, sex and health status.

Adapted from: Transport Accident Commission (Transport Accident Commission, n.d.) and South Australian Health Government (SA Health, 2014).

Alcohol Guidelines

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC, 2009) has developed a set of guidelines to inform the Australian population on how to avoid or minimise the harmful health consequences of drinking alcohol.

Guideline 1: Reducing the risk of alcohol-related harm over a lifetime

• The lifetime risk of harm from drinking alcohol increases with the amount consumed.

• For healthy men and women, drinking no more than two standard drinks on any day reduces the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol related disease or injury.

Guideline 2: Reducing the risk of injury on a single occasion of drinking

• On a single occasion of drinking, the risk of alcohol-related injury increases with the amount consumed.

• For healthy men and women, drinking no more than four standard drinks on a single occasion reduces the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion.

Guideline 3: Children and young people under 18 years of age

• For children and young people under 18 years of age, not drinking alcohol is the safest option.

  • Parents and carers should be advised that children under 15 years of age are at the greatest risk of harm from drinking and that for this age group, not drinking alcohol is especially important.

  • For young people aged 15−17 years, the safest option is to delay the initiation of drinking for as long as possible.

Guideline 4: Pregnancy and breastfeeding

• Maternal alcohol consumption can harm the developing fetus or breastfeeding baby.

  • For women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, not drinking is the safest option.

  • For women who are breastfeeding, not drinking is the safest option.

Supporting Information

Problematic Alcohol Use

The following factors will influence how an individual is affected by alcohol:

Body size
Individuals who are larger than average will not usually be affected by the same amount of alcohol as much as an average-sized person, while persons who are smaller than the average will be affected more.

Gender
On average, women tend to be smaller physically than men and hence affected to a greater extent than men by the same amount of alcohol. Women also produce less of the enzyme necessary to break down alcohol in the body.

Rate of consumption
The rate of consumption in a given period can greatly affect whether an individual becomes intoxicated.

Prior use
Individuals who drink frequently will be less affected by a specific amount of alcohol than people who do not drink at all or very rarely, who will have less tolerance and therefore be affected more.

Time lapse between eating and alcohol consumption
Alcohol will have a greater immediate physical effect on a person who has not eaten recently than upon someone who has eaten recently or who eats at the same time as consuming alcohol.

State of tiredness
A person who is not adequately rested has a tendency to be more affected by alcohol consumption than one who is well rested. This factor has obvious indications for employees on extended shifts or those who work nights, perform physically strenuous work, or who for other reasons are short of sleep or physically tired (International Labour Organization, 1996).

Indicators of potential problems

Generally, a person’s alcohol use can be defined as a problem when it starts to impact on their life and those around them. The potential areas of concern or patterns of drinking behaviour that could indicate potential problems include but are not limited to:

• reducing social activities and outings with friends, or only planning social activities that involve alcohol

• drinking as a means to cope with stress, anxiety or depression

• having an increased tolerance and therefore requiring a significant amount of alcohol to feel its effects

• drinking with the intention to get drunk on a regular basis

• drinking quickly or gulping drinks

• attempting to reduce or cut down on drinking with limited success

• skipping meals while drinking

Individuals are recommended to see their GP should they be concerned about their drinking.

Event Planning Tips

A work function is an important way for an organisation to thank employees and celebrate the end of the year or other special occasions. A successful function is not only enjoyable for everyone involved, but is also incident-free, with all guests returning home safely.

• Promote your event as a fun, activity-filled celebration where alcohol is not the focus.

• Promote your organisation’s code of conduct before the event so everyone knows what’s expected of them.

• Appoint someone to be responsible for overseeing that the festivities run smoothly and to be the point of call should any problems arise on the day.

• Ensure your employees are being served by RSA-trained (responsible service of alcohol) bar staff.

• Avoid table service and “top-ups” as these make it harder for employees to keep track of how many drinks they’ve had.

• Stop the service of alcohol during formalities and speeches. This will help reduce the chance of high levels of intoxication.

• Provide plenty of free water, soft drink and other non-alcoholic drinks.

• Provide substantial and diverse food options, making sure everyone’s dietary requirements are catered for.

• Keep everyone busy, entertained and well-organised. Kris Kringles, scavenger hunts and staff competitions are fun ways to incorporate non-alcohol focused activities into the day.

• Provide safe transport options such as taxi vouchers, and communicate safe transport options prior to the event.

• Have a plan in place for managing intoxicated employees or guests.

• Consider security options. Does the venue provide security? Should you hire your own?

• Log and document any incidents from the day.

• Hold a debrief session after the event to assess how it all went.

• Have fun!

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