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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
MAY 2015
38
T
he festive season has been over for
some time already, but this is no rea-
son for organisations to reduce their
efforts to curb alcohol consumption in the
workplace. The reality is that South Africa
has a drinking culture, and alcohol abuse is
a problem throughout the year and not just
over the December period. Applying poli-
cies and testing solely during this time is
simply not the most effective method, nor is
it compliant with health and safety regula-
tions. In 2015 organisations should look to
implementing alcohol testing policies that
are consistently enforced throughout the
year, and not selectively during the festive
season, for more effective control and im-
proved health and safety compliance.
For many organisations, especially trans-
portation and logistics companies, the fes-
tive season is particularly challenging with
regard to ensuring drivers do not operate
under the influence of alcohol. The holiday
period typically sees an increase in alcohol
consumption as well as an increase in traf-
fic accidents and road deaths. In order to
minimise the dangers of drivers operating
under the influence, these companies often
enforce random alcohol testing. While this
is an effective way to address the issue in
the short-term, in the long-term it is gen-
erally ineffective at controlling the use of
alcohol in the workplace. Aside from creat-
ing resentment from employees and extra
stress for management, selectively enforc-
ing alcohol testing only during certain times
CONSISTENT POLICIES AND CONTINUOUS TESTING
are key to curbing alcohol abuse in the
workplace
By Rhys Evans, Director of ALCO-Safe