Modern Mining April 2019

COMPANIES

Substance abuse poses major

Just howmuch of a threat to mine safety is the misuse of alcohol and drugs? Accurate figures are difficult to come by but the problem is considerable, says Rhys Evans, MD at ALCO-Safe, who notes that the cost to industry generally has been estimated at R2 billion per year. “The prevalence of substance abuse is thought to be much higher in mining than in most other sectors of the economy, so clearly the industry faces a significant challenge,” he states.

A study by the Mine Health and Safety Council (MHSC) of South Africa which Evans quotes tested approximately 2 000 miners across seven mines for substance abuse. It indicated that of the almost 50 % of workers who used alcohol, just over 15 % showed alcohol de- pendence. The study also revealed that the prevalence of cannabis (marijuana) use var- ied from 4,6 % to 21,5 % across the mines, with the mean being 9,1 %. “These are very worrying figures,” says Evans. “Employees suffering from substance abuse can suffer a range of problems, includ- ing a loss of perception and motor skills and – sometimes – irrational and unpredictable behaviour. Clearly, they should not be allowed in any work environment, least of all a mine, and, indeed, the law is very clear on this point – the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, for example, specifies a zero tolerance approach towards alcohol and drug use in the workplace.” While Evans acknowledges that tackling the substance abuse problem requires a holistic

approach from mines, he also argues that the ‘first line of defence’ must be the use of breath- alysers and random drug testing. As he points out, the priority is to prevent people suffering from the effects of drugs and alcohol gaining access to the workplace. “This is not enough in itself and measures of this type must be backed up by educational and awareness programmes, rehabilitation programmes and a host of other interventions. But testing for abuse is the start- ing point on which everything else depends.” Formed 44 years ago and based in Tshwane, ALCO-Safe is one of the leading companies in its field. It is the sole distributor in South Africa (and some neighbouring states) for the Lion Laboratories range of breathalysers for alcohol detection and also represents Alere Toxicology, whose products include drug testing equip- ment. Lion is based in Wales in the UK while Alere is a US-headquartered company. Says Evans: “Both Lion and Alere are global leaders and their products are well-established and totally proven. Both also have extensive R&D programmes to ensure that their product lines keep abreast of modern technology. In the case of Alere, it has two world-class laboratories

Rhys Evans.

The Lion AlcoBlow is a state-of-the-art high speed testing breathalyser.

40  MODERN MINING  April 2019