Alcohol, cannabis, ecstasy and other drugs have a detrimental effect on workplace efficiency and safety long after a worker has taken them, with most workers unaware that their performance remains impaired.
A "significant minority" of workers in the Republic have used illegal drugs, said Dr Des Corrigan, director of the School of Pharmacy at Trinity College, Dublin, who was speaking at the annual conference of the EAP Institute on "Drug and Alcohol Abuse - Workplace Implications for Health and Safety" in Dublin last week.
Drugs, legal or otherwise, change how workers "think, feel and behave". They affect memory, learning, reactions, co-ordination and behaviour, leading to accidents and diminished productivity. While the link between alcohol and accidents is obvious, "less well known but equally well established is the effect of small amounts of alcohol on productivity because of the sedative effects on the brain", he said.
Cannabis contributes to accidents at work as reaction times are slowed, and co-ordination and cognitive function impaired. Research involving licensed pilots in flight simulators has shown that "impairment lasted more than 24 hours after a single dose and most of the pilots were unaware that their performance was still impaired," Dr Corrigan said.
Ecstasy can impair attention and memory tasks for up to three days after using the drug. It can also lead to a progressive decline of memory function. Moreover, many users of illegal drugs combine them with other drugs such as alcohol, the cumulative effect of which could prove even more detrimental, he suggested.
Mr Pat Gilbride, personnel officer at ESB's Moneypoint plant in Co Clare, outlined the ESB Addiction Programme, which affirms that the company is "not concerned with the individual drinking or other practices of its employees, except insofar as they may adversely affect their work performance".
ESB managers and supervisors are required to be attentive to deteriorating behaviour or work patterns of staff.
They are trained to look out for typical signs of drinking, including hangovers, increased irritability, red or bleary eyes, avoidance of colleagues or use of breath purifiers.
The ethos is to support employees and help them recover, with the ESB providing professional advice and assistance.
Managers are asked to document incidents where work performance is below acceptable standards.
Managers are asked to intervene, confronting the employee with behavioural or work evidence but always in a supportive atmosphere and in the presence of the staff representative. The emphasis is on support rather than confrontation.
The employee is encouraged to avail of the employee assistance programme and the manager should monitor and follow up their original intervention. If the employee declines to avail of the programme, some time should be left "for personal remedy".
The employee is also asked to see the ESB medical doctor. Only if behaviour or work does not improve can the disciplinary process come into play.
Introducing the conference, Mr Maurice Quinlan, director of the EAP Institute, said that there was "no co-ordinated response" by Irish employers and trade unions to the hazard of legal and illegal drug use in the workplace.
"There are no employment laws or specific health and safety policies or regulations in place to provide guidelines for employers."
Dr Elizabeth Gibby of Britain's Health and Safety Executive said it was in organisations' interests to help people suffering from substance misuse. By doing so, employees could be more effective in their jobs and training, while recruiting costs can be capitalised upon.
"However, if employees will not accept help, employers need to have legally sound methods of dismissing them from the organisation before their behaviour puts others at risk or their poor performance adversely affects others."
She argued that workplace policies should clearly give rules about alcohol or drug misuse. Such rules must apply to everyone. Employees should be educated about sensible drinking and the detrimental effects of drugs. Dealing, possessing or using controlled substances at work should be a dismissable offence and reported to police. A rule could say that all alcohol or drug use is prohibited or that functional impairment at work is a disciplinary matter.
Speakers at the conference included Mr Bernard McCann, policy analyst, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; Ms Anya Pierce, secretary and founder member, European Workplace Drug Testing Society; Mr Robin Lefever, managing director of the Promis Recovery Centre, England; and Mr Conor Hannaway, director of SHR Consulting.
Papers from the EAP conference are available from the EAP Institute, 143 Barrack Street, Waterford. Price: £75.
jmarms@irish-times.ie
