• It is estimated that in SA the abuse of alcohol and other drugs costs the economy at least R9 billion a year.
• In one study alcoholics were found to have lost 86 working days a year due to absence.
• Over 50% of accidents in the workplace are drug-related, and theft at work and other criminal activities are trebled.
• Overall, an undetected drug abuser costs his employer a further 25% of his wages.
• At a Cosatu-sponsored safety and health conference, it was revealed for every day in the SA industry on average 5 people die from injuries received, 430 people are injured and 52 people are permanently disabled.
• It is reported that 50% of accidents in the workplace are drug related.
• “According to Thomas & Hersen(2002) every employee who is a dependant on alcohol costs the company an extra quarter of the employee’s salary per year due to absenteeism, occupation accidents and loss of productivity.
• Steinman et al (2003) interviewed a sample of male alcoholics of which 67% were in employment. He found that each lost 86 working days a year due to absence. Sixty six percent of the sample was often late for work, 61% reported Monday morning absenteeism, and 62% sometimes took alcohol at work, with 12% doing so regularly.”
Raymond Meneses Attorneys; Drugs, Lies and Red Tape Steinman,S & Senekal,A (2003) Solving psychosocial problems in the workplace: The Work Trauma Foundation and the ILO, Department of Sociology; RAU. Referred to at www.interaction.nu.ac.za/sasa 2003
Bloodshot eyes, Unstable, Slurred Speech, Breath, Disheveled, Verbal Abuse, Behavioral differences all these could be indicators of substance abuse.
Legality of testing:
Reasonable Cause, mandatory and random testing
• In South Africa testing for alcohol and substance use is permitted provided it is random and voluntary, or if there is agreement to do so in a collective agreement with a trade union, and provided the testing is not motivated by victimization or unfair discrimination.
• Testing employees for drug or alcohol use or abuse, balances two competing interests: the employer’s interest to ensure a safe and healthy workplace and the worker’s entitlement to the privacy of their recreational activity.
• Occupational Health and Safety
• If an employer were to require that an employee undergo an alcohol test or leave their workstation on account of the employer's suspicion that the employee is under the influence of alcohol, the employee would be obliged to comply if the employer had reasonable cause for doing so.
• Hence, if an employer were to require, with just cause, as part of its safety rules and procedures, that an employee undergo a non-invasive alcohol or drug test or leave the workstation on account of the employer's reasonable suspicion that the employee is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the employee is obliged by the statutory regulation to comply with those requirements.