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? richard.evers@synergyhealthplc.com