As part of January’s Hazard of the Month, Substance Misuse, we’re highlighting two key areas: Alcohol and Drug Awareness & Healthy Living.
Alcohol and Drug Awareness
Employers have a legal responsibility to safeguard the health, safety, and well-being of their employees.
Recognising the signs of drug and alcohol misuse is essential for managing workplace health and safety risks, creating a policy to address substance-related issues, and providing support to employees.
Drug and alcohol misuse includes the use of illegal drugs and the improper use of alcohol, medications, or substances such as solvents.
There are a number of warning signs which may indicate substance misuse, including:
- Unexplained or frequent absences
- Changes in behaviour
- Unexplained drops in productivity
- Increased accidents or near-misses
- Issues with performance or conduct
In managing the risk of substance misuse in your workplace, it is important to consider the nature of your work and any safety-critical tasks where substance misuse could lead to serious consequences, such as:
- Operating machinery
- Using electrical equipment or ladders
- Driving or handling heavy lifting equipment
This information can inform your risk assessment and the potential control measures to be implemented.
If employees in safety-critical roles seek help for substance misuse, it might be necessary to temporarily reassign them to other duties.
Learn more about handling substance misuse with our Alcohol and Drug Awareness Online Training Course. Get 10% off this course with the code ‘substance10’!
Healthy Living
The number of units in a drink depends on its size and alcohol content, and consistently consuming more than 14 units of alcohol per week risks harm to your health.
Recent evidence has highlighted the health risks associated with regular alcohol consumption, with a clearer understanding of the connection between drinking and certain illnesses, including various types of cancer.
There are a number of both short- and long-term benefits to reducing your alcohol intake.
Immediate effects following cutting down include:
- feeling better in the mornings
- feeling less tired during the day
- better looking skin
- feeling more energetic
- improved weight management
Long-term benefits include:
- improved mood
- better quality sleep
- improved judgement skills and memory recall
- reduced irritability
- protecting your heart health
- improved immunity
Some simple tips for cutting down:
- Plan a limit for how much you’re going to drink
- Set an alcohol budget
- Let your friends and family know
- Cut back slowly, a little each day
- Choose smaller drink sizes
- Have a lower-strength drink
- Stay hydrated
Learn more about improving your health and lifestyle with our Healthy Living Online Training Course. Get 10% off this course with the code ‘substance10’!
Alcohol and Drug Awareness & Healthy Living are essential tools in improving health and wellbeing.
Make sure you don’t miss out on our 10% off deal on these courses, available until the end of January. Simply enter the code ‘substance10’ at checkout to save!
Read more Safety Spotlight blogs here
To keep up to date with the latest health & safety news and advice, follow us on social media: