Alcohol, drugs major problem at work

Nearly a third of workers have admitted using drugs at work and nearly 90% of employees say they?ve been drunk when they were on duty, incredible figures from a survey carried out for a national health and safety law consultancy have revealed.

According to Protecting.co.uk, the ?lunchtime drinking session? has never gone away, costing UK companies millions of pounds per year in lost productivity, with workers often defying company rules as well as health and safety regulations.

Protecting.co.uk surveyed over 2,600 workers in office, factory, retail and the public sector, and found:

• 28% admitted using drugs at work, including so-called ?legal highs?, cannabis and other illegal narcotics
• 5% of factory workers said they had used machinery after using drugs
• 85% admit to being drunk at work in the last year, not including the Christmas party
• 31% admitted to being drunk at work, or having their capacity to work significantly diminished through alcohol, at least once per week
• Of these, office workers were more likely to be drunk at work, while those working in retail or public-facing jobs were more likely to go the day sober
• 14% of factory workers said they would drink alcohol at lunchtime, and then operate machinery in the afternoon
• Of 40 people who listed their jobs as driver, none say they took drink or drugs at work

Protecting.co.uk says that the huge majority of those who admitted taking drugs at work think the practice “harmless”. Others told Protecting.co.uk it was ?to relieve the tension of working all day,” while others blamed boredom, simply saying “it helps the day go faster.”

Drug-taking at work is emerging as a growing factor in workplace accidents, with even ?legal highs? contributing to injuries, compensation claims and loss of production. It?s specifically rife in younger people, with 90% of those who admitted to using drugs being under 30 years old.

But it?s the lunch-time pint-or-three that remains one of the biggest causes of UK workplace accidents, Protecting.co.uk claims. Regular drinkers think they can handle their liquid lunch, the company says, but in the best case scenario, their speed and quality of work deteriorates after they?ve had a drink. At the very least, this results in lost production and customer complaints.

In the worst case scenarios, accidents caused by alcohol remain high and can be cited as a direct cause in numerous cases of injury or death.

Protecting.co.uk says that bosses need to be clear with their employees that drug use and drunkenness is unacceptable in their organisation, and they need to be seen to be enforcing their policies.

Read the full report at bit.ly/1S2f7RL