Tags: health and safety, alcohol abuse, employees abusing alcohol, how to carry out breathalyser tests on employees, breathalyser tests to get evidence of employee alcohol abuse

Christmas party season is almost upon us. Your employees are looking forward to long lunches with clients, and the office Christmas bash. And it's quite likely that some will end up drinking too much punch... But for a few employees, the over-indulgence of alcohol isn't limited to these few parties. They abuse alcohol daily. And their substance dependence could cost you thousands, maybe even millions in loss of production time and compensation claims in case of an accident. And that means you have a legal responsibility to tackle this matter at work...

Consider these facts: Employees with alcohol dependence problems make compensation claims FIVE times more than other employees.
And 20% to 25% of injuries in the workplace involve employees under the influence of alcohol.

Put a stop to this now by implementing breathalyser testing in your company today, say the experts at the Health and Safety Advisor.

How to carry out the breathalyser test in 9 steps
1. Get permission from your employee for the test in writing;
2. You should have a proper 'test sheet' listing the physical signs, together with space for the comments of the person conducting the test;
3. Make sure your employee knows he has the right to have his own representative at the time of the test;
4. You must also have a representative present on your behalf;
5. Make sure there's a witness present at the time of the test;
6. The test must be conducted by a person trained in the equipment used for the test;
7. The process of the test must be explained;
8. The proposed sanctions if an employee is found under the influence of alcohol; and
9. Document the time the test was taken. You must also include the names of witnesses present at the time of the testing.
All of the above serves as evidence that the employee has consumed alcohol or appears to have consumed alcohol.

If you don't have a policy in place yet, to outline the company's alcohol testing procedures, make sure you chat to your health and safety expert today to get it sorted out. 

Author: FSP Business