Capital Equipment News May 2015

HEALTH & SAFETY

“Alcohol use in the workplace and on the roads is a problem all year round, and not only over the festive season.”

By Rhys Evans

of the year does nothing to create the de- sired culture of responsibility and account- ability with regard to alcohol consumption. Achieving this requires a combination of ef- fective policies and procedures, education to help change culture, and quality testing equipment that can be used to enforce poli- cies consistently throughout the year. Developing effective policies and proce- dures and importantly, enforcing these policies and procedures, is essential to ensure that random testing takes place on a regular basis. In addition, awareness of policies needs to be created throughout the organisation, not only around the exis- tence of policies and the process followed but also the need for these policies in im- proving safety for all concerned. Further to this, education is also an essential founda- tion in minimising alcohol consumption in the workplace. Often, employees are not

aware of the harmful consequences of al- cohol usage on their health, the safety of the workplace, and in the case of transport and logistics, of other road users. Education can help employees to understand the rea- sons for alcohol testing, how to drink more responsibly, the impact of alcohol on their health, how breathalysers work and so on. It is also essential to help ease the transi- tion to a culture of continuous testing and enforcement of policies throughout the year. Supporting policies and procedures, organ- isations should also implement appropriate high-quality alcohol testing equipment. A variety of different breathalyser solutions are available to meet the needs of work- places across industries, and are essential in enforcing policies and ensuring compli- ance with health and safety regulations. Purchasing leading solutions from a repu- table supplier will ensure that organisations

continue to benefit from their breathalyser investment throughout the year and for many years to come. Alcohol use in the workplace and on the roads is a problem all year round, and not only over the festive season. Random testing and consistently enforced policies throughout the year are essential in creat- ing a culture that alcohol abuse is never ac- ceptable at work. This not only dramatically improves health and safety, it also prevents additional stress during the holiday period, as alcohol testing and policies are no longer an issue that is only applicable at a certain time of year. High-quality equipment, effec- tive policies and education and consistent enforcement will enable businesses, partic- ularly those in the transport sector, to better control the number of workers operating under the influence, with positive knock on benefits all round. b

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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS MAY 2015