implementing a drug and alcohol policy for senior executives
TRANSCRIPT
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Implementing a D&A policy
for senior executives
The prevalence and consequences of
using drugs at work
Richard Evers
Toxicology Manager
Synergy Health Laboratory Services
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Synergy Health Laboratory Services
+ Fully Accredited analytical services to clients in all industry sectors
+ Private Pathology Services
+ Drug and Alcohol Testing
+ Policy Implementation
+ Drug awareness training
+ Nationwide 2 hour response collection services
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Me
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
+ Why have a Drug & Alcohol Policy
+ Drug use among senior executives
+ Implementing a Policy
+ Problems & pitfalls
Agenda
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Why have a drug & alcohol policy?
• Misuse of drugs act
– Offence to use drugs
– Offence to allow drug use
• H&SAW act
• Managing health & safety
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Civil law
• Costs of a positive
• Damage to reputation
• Civil liability
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Drug Testing
• You can have a policy without testing
– How many have no policy?
• How can you monitor?
• How can you police?
– What happens when somebody comes in
from lunch drunk?
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
When is testing justified
• Safety Critical
• Integrity critical
• The Law
– T&Works act
• Parent company
– Sub-contractors (do they have permission to test?)
– US parent
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Other reasons
• Blanket coverage
• Union agreement
• Info commissioners brief
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Senior executives
• Often older
– GS is 38
• Often Well paid
• Little Supervision of work
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Medication
• Chronic pain more likely in older staff
– Addiction to painkillers
– Withdrawal
– Codeine and increasingly tramadol
• Stress more likely in older staff
– Use of sleeping tablets
– Chronic Alcohol use
– Cannabis use
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Recreational drugs
• Senior staff have greater incomes
– Cocaine use
– “occasional” heroin use
– Alcohol binge drinking
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Workplace Drug Use
• Lunchtime drinking
– Once common, now rare
– Affects older staff more
• Workplace social events
– Predominantly alcohol
• Corporate Hospitality -add in later
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Implementation of a policy
• Why? – Why do you have a policy in the first place?
• Safety Critical – Do senior executives ever enter safety critical areas?
Are they “banned” form these areas?
– Do they make safety critical decisions?
• Integrity driven – More significant for senior staff
• Site-wide policies – Cannot have exceptions to the rule
• Staff morale, fairness, employer relations
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Senior executives
• The same rules must apply to senior
execs that apply to all other staff. BUT
• Information commissioners report on D&A
testing
• Staff/Union buy-in if execs excluded
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Implementation
• Let senior execs know what is being
tested & why
• Involve occ health
• Declaration of meds
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Problems & Pitfalls
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
FLT Driver
• Takes codeine for back pain
• Over-sedates or under medicates
• Causes serious accident
– Compensation to victim
– Loss of stock
– Time off work
– Damage to FLT
• Cost to employer? £5k insurance excess
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Director of Sales
• Takes codeine for back pain
• Over-sedates or under medicates
• Misses significant detail in tender/contract
– Loss of contract
– Loss of staff
• Cost to company?
– £500k+ depending on size of contract
– NOT covered by insurance
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Comparison
• The cost of a senior executive mistake can dwarf
the cost of a more junior employee
• Reason for loss of contract may not be attributed
to drugs
– Not raised on Quality System
– No effective Root Cause Analysis (Virgin-first tender)
– No preventive action
– Recurrence of issue
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Supervision
• No staff supervision
• Line managers/Foremen usually
responsible for For Cause call-outs
• Poor definition of “For Cause” for senior
staff
• Would you ask your manager to do a
drugs test?
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Random Testing
• Use of Random Testing sidesteps this
inhibition
• Only works if SHLS or Occ Health
responsible for randomisation and test
schedule
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Split Sites
• HO managerial only
– No Safety Critical
– No integrity critical
• Lunchtime drinking
• Company cars
• What happens when somebody turns up
drunk and you have no policy?
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Possible Solution
• Site specific Random testing
• Site specific Post Incident Testing
• Company wide reasonable suspicion
testing
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Guest at Corporate Hospitality
• Are you at work?
– Does the policy apply
– Can this jeopardise a business relationship?
• Do your social and moral attitudes match
your hosts?
– Level of drinking
– Other drug use
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Hosting Corporate Hospitality
• Where do you define the boundaries between
social drinking and excessive drinking?
– Number of drinks
– Level of intoxication (who decides, subjective)
– Time cutoff?
• What about your guests?
– Different morals
– Different social attitudes
– Do not believe they are “working”
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
To suspend or not suspend, that is
the question
• Chief Exec on a site visit
• Coincides with a Random Test
• Non-Negative result on site
• 3 day turnaround for laboratory
confirmation
• Who enforces? What is the cost to the
business?
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
All Random Tests return to lab
• No non-negative results, therefore no
suspension
• Only confirmed positive result
• MRO decision on fitness to practice
Recognising Drug Use in the Workplace - Richard Evers
Thank You for Listening
Any Questions? [email protected]