Conclusiones y recomendaciones
5.3 Imagen futura del Programa
As was discussed, drug misuse can harm the individual both physically and mentally and, through the actions of those who misuse drugs, other people and the environment. However, such misuse can also have an adverse effect on the organisation that the individual works for.
High Absenteeism
The majority of people who have a drinking problem are in work and some hold down responsible positions. People with drink problems can and do reduce their intake, but proactive behaviour, i.e. before problems occur, can be productive. This approach is often more effective than dealing with a problem that has become too serious to ignore.
Irrespective of size, businesses can take practical steps to minimise the risks associated with inappropriate drinking/drug use.
Monitoring absences and sickness rates is one way of gathering information about potential problems in this area. The information required is likely to be collected by the organisation for its human resource management function. It is not easy to interpret absence records in order to identify alcohol and drug-related problems. One indication may be a high incidence of absences on Mondays. Certain individuals view the weekend as a time to relax from the pressures of the working week by perhaps drinking to excess, or using recreational drugs.
Feeling unable to cope with the workplace on a Monday morning may manifest itself by a significant number of absences at the beginning of the week.
However, it is also possible that arriving home in the evening after a pressurised day leads to one drink to relax, followed by more, with the after-effects being felt the following morning and the associated ill-health effects.
Short-term absences (one or two days, particularly at the beginning of the week) rather than longer-term absences are more likely to reflect an alcohol or drink problem in the individual. However, always remember that this is not an easy area in which to make clear judgments. Ill-health as a result of alcohol or drug misuse may take some time to become evident and it is not always obvious that it is caused by activities at the workplace, but could be due to
problems outside work itself, e.g. family problems/personal relationships leading to increased alcohol consumption.
Poor Morale
A high staff turnover is a general indicator of problems in the workplace. One such problem may manifest itself due to the use/misuse of alcohol and/or drugs. There may be many reasons for this – pay, poor morale, lack of training, lack of opportunities, work conditions problems at home, etc. Some of these may have implications for, or be a reflection of, the health and safety culture and, again, it is important that management is clear about the underlying causes and what they may imply for health and safety.
Exit interviews are increasingly used by many organisations to identify why employees want to leave or are asked to leave and the results from these may provide indicators of the state of health and safety in the organisation. Thus, for example, reasons such as excessive workloads or lack of training may indicate conditions which give rise to high levels of stress or a lack of appreciation and skills in respect of safety procedures. Alcohol and drug use may be seen as a way out of such problems. Low morale may also be of concern since this is often associated with an apathetic attitude towards safety.
Poor Quality and Output
Alcohol/drug consumption may result in reduced work performance, damaged customer relations, and resentment among employees who have to "carry" colleagues whose work declines because of their drinking or drug abuse.
Increased Accident Rate
There are no precise figures on the number of workplace accidents where alcohol is a factor, but alcohol is known to affect judgment and physical co-ordination. Drinking even small amounts of alcohol before or while carrying out work that is "safety sensitive" will increase the risk of an accident, e.g. when working with machinery, hand tools or driving (a criminal offence).
The level of accidents in an organisation clearly has something to say about the state of health and safety within that organisation. Accident data is readily available – it has to be collected, and is required as the basis of risk assessment and statistical analysis can provide information about trends and comparisons with other, similar organisations, e.g. look for accidents on Monday mornings; after lunch; following a big sporting event the night before; or possibly as the result of an individual coming to work with a hangover. However, whilst a poor accident record may indicate a need to address particular safety issues, it does not necessarily mean
that the health and safety culture is also poor. Similarly, the absence of accidents is not, on its own, a clear indicator of a positive culture.
Accidents do happen. What is important is why they happen. Thus, accident reports need to be clear about the causes of accidents, not simply their outcomes in terms of injuries caused. In this case, then, near misses are just as important. If they show a regular pattern of similar causes, then that may indicate a cultural problem in that the causes are not being addressed. Accidents and their causes represent a learning opportunity for the organisation – to prevent it happening again. If that challenge is not being picked up, it may be because health and safety is not a sufficient priority.
Other ways of analysing accident data may also indicate problems. It may be that a certain level of accidents is normal in an organisation or a particular type of work – not necessarily a high level, but an average of one or two incidents a month on, say, a large construction site. If this level is exceeded, then there may clearly be problem. However, a lower level may also indicate a problem in that accidents may not be being reported.
If there is a very low incidence of accidents in the workplace, it is important to know why. Many organisations have very low levels of risk (compare office work with, say, mining), and slack attitudes to safety may not necessarily result in accidents, or even near misses.
It is not always possible to know to what extent a condition is due to activities within or outside the workplace. Employers cannot be held responsible for ill-health arising from the personal life styles of their employees (such as smoking, diet, alcohol and other drug abuse, lack of exercise or dangerous sports). An ill-health condition caused by an activity other than work can, though, be made worse by an industrial situation, although compensation is only paid for work-related conditions.