Publications

At Risk Behaviour – Substance Misuse

Oct 19, 2022 | ClubHub

Low consumption levels of alcohol and the lawful use of prescribed or over the counter medicines to treat illness or injuries may provide some health benefits. However, given the addictive nature of these substances, misuse can have a detrimental effect on the individual’s personal and professional life.

Alcohol and drug abuse can negatively impact the working environment. Accordingly, all those involved in the workplace have specific occupational health and safety obligations towards themselves and others – part of the relevant state/territory legislation.

In Victoria, the laws that relate to workplace health and safety are the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and Regulations 2017, which are regulated by WorkSafe Victoria.

Managers and Supervisors

Managers and supervisors must ensure that inappropriate use of drugs and/or alcohol in the workplace does not occur or impact workplace safety.

They have the responsibility to:
• monitor the environment to ensure that acceptable conduct standards and safety are observed;
• model appropriate behaviour themselves;
• promote internal policies/procedures about substance abuse;
• take immediate action to deal with breaches of such policies/procedures; and
• refer complaints to another manager if they are personally not equipped to deal with the matter.

Employees

All employees must ensure that they do not participate in inappropriate use of drugs and/or alcohol in the workplace and that they promote responsible behaviours.

They have a responsibility to:
• comply with internal policies/procedures about substance abuse – including not exposing themselves and others to health and safety risks as a result of their use of drugs and/or alcohol, and not performing or attending work whilst under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol;
• report any inappropriate use of alcohol and/or drugs that they believe is occurring in the workplace; and
• maintain confidentiality if they provide information during an investigation of a breach of such policies/procedures.

There are instances where the consumption of alcohol and the use of prescribed or over the counter medications may be allowed at the workplace, however, workplace health and safety is paramount, and an assessment should be undertaken on a case-by-case basis.

For employers trying to address the issue of substance misuse at the workplace, it is vital to develop and implement policies/procedures and training – to ensure that expectations are clearly set out, to adequately manage imminent risk to health and safety, and to help those who are battling substance abuse. The key to tackling this issue is leadership and clear communications.