Contents

• Introduction
• What is the risk?
• Policy Plan for a Safe work place
• Research and discussion
• Essential elements for an effective drug abuse program
• Reference to alcohol and other drugs in the OSH Act and MSI Act
• State your standards of policy and testing properly
• Consistent Application of the policy
• Issue advance notices for drug testing
• Steps to develop a drug and alcohol policy
• Content of the policy
• Clear Policy content
• An effective policy should have information on these areas
• Supporting procedure
• Australian Legislative Requirements
• Conclusion
• References

Description

Drugs and Alcohol abuse issues are increasing day by day. People are using drugs intentionally or unintentionally for different reasons. A statistical data of illicit drug users reveals rising number of employees abusing themselves at the work places.
Different factors, both at the workplace or in people’s personal lives have great impact on there working capacity. Illicit drugs usage is an important issue as it can impair working of the employee, coordination in work, making decisions and judgment, concentration and alertness at the workplace. There is reportedly increased risk of injuries and accidents in such sort of employees. Occupational safety and health (OSH) has now become an import and integral part of all organizations. During the period from 2006-2007, there were 132,055 serious workers’ compensation claims within Australia, resulting in an absence from work of one week or more. That figure includes 236 fatalities due to work-related causes (Australian Safety & Compensation Council, 2009a). Furthermore, the total economic cost of work-related injuries and illnesses for the 2005-06 financial years was estimated to be 57.5 billion dollars (Australian Safety & Compensation Council, 2009b).