Business must turn attention from health back to occupational safety

IF parking lot capacities and rush hour traffic jams are any indication, the majority of South Africa’s workforce is back to the grind full time.

It’s business as usual and companies need to turn their attention to prioritising occupational safety.

Now that Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted, workplace drug and alcohol policies must be enforced, but organisations must first ensure their testing equipment has been serviced and is in proper working order.

Shifting the focus from health back to safety

Drug and alcohol testing may have been overlooked during lockdown while most people were working from home, but this can no longer be the case. With full workplaces, businesses must reprioritise budgets for health and safety procedures like drug and alcohol testing.

Ensuring equipment is fit for purpose
Companies have an obligation to provide their employees with a safe working environment, which extends to ensuring intoxicated individuals are not permitted entry to the workplace. Where alcohol testing instruments have not been used recently, they will need to be serviced and recalibrated to ensure accurate results and reliable performance.

Why is it necessary to test employees?
The unfortunate reality is that when people experience tough times, there is a tendency to turn to substances as a coping mechanism. Business owners who think they would notice if employees were intoxicated in the workplace are sorely mistaken. Financial problems generally don’t stop people from purchasing drugs or alcohol, they simply use money intended for other things, like food and rent.

Policy-based proactive screening
With this in mind, it’s important for organisations to have a proper policy in place that clearly details their approach to alcohol and substances at work. This policy must be adequately communicated to employees, and it might be necessary to have refresher courses to ensure everyone is aware of the policy and the consequences of violating the rules.

Prevention is proactive, not reactive
Screening the entire workforce within a short period of having returned to work is advisable as this is the most effective way to identify and assist with substance abuse problems as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, there is a high chance people will test positive for alcohol or substances, but rather than waiting for unfortunate incidents to occur, companies should proactively prevent intoxication-related accidents by ensuring they have a sober workforce.

Deterrent not punitive
A sober workforce isn’t achieved by policing people and testing them for the purposes of catching them out. It is achieved by educating workers on the dangers of alcohol consumption, particularly in the context of the workplace. Testing should be used not as a punitive measure, but as a deterrent. Here, prevention really is better than cure, and regular workplace deterrent-based testing is the most effective way to achieve a sober workforce.

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