Racing to Be Drug Free

Worksafe Queensland writes, “The content of an alcohol and drug policy should be based on the identification of hazards and the assessment of workplace risks and the strategies to address them.”1 The guidelines for developing a policy then continue to explain that drug and alcohol policies adopted must take into consideration the particular risks and requirements of the workplace and whether the industry or business appears to have a substance abuse problem. Random drug and alcohol testing programs should be closely aligned with the occupational health and safety policies because they are not independent of each other. A safe and healthy workplace is free of substance abuse and drug and alcohol testing procedures contribute to that goal.

News reports tend to focus on the relationship of drug and alcohol (D&A) testing to safety in industries like mining, aviation, healthcare, construction, and others involving dangerous work conditions or that work with the public. However, every employer in every industry, without exception, needs to be concerned about the health and safety of their workers. It does not matter if workers accept positions known in advance to be highly stressful or dangerous. The employer has a duty to maintain a working environment that is as safe as possible, which requires establishing and enforcing a set of effective safety policies and procedures.

Right Conditions for Substance Abuse

A good example is the horse stables and track business. Everyone knows that there are inherent risks in managing large animals. It is impossible to stop a horse from kicking or bucking if that is what the horse insists on doing. However, the stable is a workplace with equipment, facilities, potentially hazardous materials, and a variety of employees that include stable hands, track riders, administrative personnel, and others. Stable and track personnel may find themselves working long days that start early in the morning and managing high work demands, leading to mental stress. According to a multitude of research studies, these are ideal conditions for employee substance abuse.

Research has also demonstrated many times over that drug and alcohol use increases the risk of employee injury, poor decision making, lost productivity, and in the case of stables and tracks, ‘near miss’ incidents, contracting infectious diseases, incurring debilitating injuries to the spinal or neck and soft injuries, amputations, and loss of sight.2 Falling off a horse or poor animal management that reflects impaired worker judgment due to drug or alcohol use can cost a worker a life.

Without Exception

The guidelines for stable and track safety address a host of safety issues that include fatigue, wearing protective equipment, injury reporting, handling of stable equipment and supplies, handling of hazardous supplies and equipment, animal management practices, equipment operation, track riding, and so on. At the top of the list of unacceptable work practices is drug and alcohol use in the workplace. The D&A policies and procedures are essential to maintaining workplace safety in every industry….without exception.

At stables and on riding tracks, the guidelines strictly forbid the use of illicit drugs and only employer approved alcohol use at designated events like celebrations. Stable employers are expected to institute policies that address prevention, education, counselling and rehabilitation. A policy that includes random drug and alcohol testing would be an important step in maintaining a safe workplace.

Each D&A policy should take into account the conditions of employment and the safety policies in place. Workplace location is not a concern because Mediscreen (http://mediscreen.net.au/) has trained collectors available in rural areas where stables are likely to be found.

This article has been taken from

drug-screening.blogspot.com/2013/08/are-you-really-youappropriate-methods.html