Transcript Substance misuse in the workplace

Substance Misuse & The
Workplace
Neil Burton & Shaun Rose
The Purpose
• To provide a basic understanding of the signs, effects and risks
of substance misuse.
• To provide understanding of the impact of substance misuse in
the workplace
• To provide understanding of the potential impact of substance
use on employees
What is a drug?
“Any chemical substance which
brings about a change in a person’s
emotional state, bodily functioning or
behaviour”
What is Drug Misuse?
Drug Misuse is…..
• The use of illegal drugs and the
misuse, whether deliberate or
unintentional, of prescribed drugs
and substances such as solvents.
• Drug use that can harm the misuser
both physically and mentally, and,
through the misuser’s actions, other
people and the environment.
DoH
What is Alcohol Misuse?
Alcohol Misuse is..
 Describes alcohol consumption that puts individuals at increased risk for
adverse health and social consequences.
 Alcohol misuse is a pattern of drinking that results in harm to one’s health,
interpersonal relationships or ability to work
Recommendations are (Department of health)
 Women should not regularly drink more than 2 - 3 units of alcohol per
day and that men should not regularly drink more than 3 - 4 units of
alcohol per day.
 It is advisable to have at least 2 alcohol free days per week.
 Therefore a woman is advised to drink no more than 14 units of alcohol
per week and a man is advised to drink no more than 21 units of
alcohol per week.
Depressants slow the
nervous system
Stimulants excite the
nervous system
All drugs fall into
‘Substance groupings’
Opiates/
Dissociative/Pain
killer drugs
New Psychoactive Substances (legal highs)
Other drugs: Steroids
Cannabis products
are considered in a
classification of their
own because they act
like a hallucinogen,
but also produce
depressant and
stimulant effects.
Stimulant
Stimulants, sometimes called ‘uppers’, temporarily increase alertness and energy. The
most commonly used street drugs that fall into this category are cocaine and
amphetamines. Prescription stimulants come in tablets or capsules, when misused they
are swallowed, injected in liquid form or crushed and snorted.
Short-term effects
exhaustion, apathy, depression, the ‘down that follows the up’ is immediate and lasting
exhaustion that quickly leads the user to want to use the drug again. Soon it is not about
getting ‘high’ but about trying to feel any energy at all!
Long-term effects
Addiction, repeated high doses of some stimulants over a short period can lead to feelings
of hostility or paranoia. Such doses may also result in dangerously high body temperature
and an irregular heartbeat.
Depressants
‘Downers’, these drugs come in tablet, capsule or liquid form (alcohol) they include alcohol,
benzodiazepines (Librium) gases, glues, heroin
Short-term effects
Slow brain function, slowed pulse and breathing, lowered blood pressure, poor concentration,
confusion, fatigue, dizziness, slurred speech, visual disturbance, disorientation lack of
coordination, depression, agitation, intoxication, impaired judgement, aggression.
Long-term effects
Tolerance, need more to get same effect, depression, chronic fatigue, breathing difficulties,
sexual problems, sleep problems, dependency, withdrawal symptoms, impaired memory,
impaired judgement, impaired coordination.
Hallucinogens
LSD, Magic Mushrooms, Strong Cannabis, Ketamine.
Short-term effects
Trips, artistic expression, creativity, enhanced mood, altered sensory perceptions,
hallucinations, rapid heart rate, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, tremor, shaking, paranoia,
confusion, acute panic, stomach cramps, numbness in the mouth, unpredictable behaviour,
overdose, unaware of the reality of surroundings.
Long-term effects
Physical dependence, psychological dependence, flashbacks, severe depression.
Cannabis Products
Sinsimillia, Weed, Skunk, Grass…
Short-term effects
An altered state of consciousness, feeling ‘high’, feeling happy, euphoric, relaxed, sociable and
uninhibited, distorted perceptions of time and space, increased sensitivity to surroundings, vivid
sense of taste, sight, smell and hearing, increased pulse and heart rate, bloodshot eyes, dilated
pupils, increased appetite, impaired coordination, impaired concentration, anxiety, panic, selfconsciousness, paranoid thoughts, toxic psychosis.
Long-term effects
Mood fluctuation, fragmented thought, paranoia, panic attacks, hallucinations, tolerance,
psychological dependence, stored and released slowly and unevenly back into the bloodstream,
cancer, reduced resistance to infection, risk of psychosis, memory impairment, depression.
Opiates Dissociative/Painkiller
drugs
Morphine…Ketamine….Heroin…
Short-term effects
Feeling detached from reality, visual and auditory distortions, rapid heart rate, anxiety, memory
loss, impaired motor function, body tremors, numbness, unpredictable effects, increased blood
pressure, increased heart rate, respiratory problems, increased body temperature, seizures,
muscle contractions, weight loss, overdose.
Long-term effects
Anxiety, memory loss, impaired cognitive functioning, physical dependence, psychological
dependence, withdrawal, compromised immune system
Levels of Substance Use
Level 3 – Dependent
DEPENDENCY
Level 2 – Recreational
and coping
MISUSE
Level 1 – experimenting
USE
3
2
1
14
How Long do drugs stay in the Body?
Amphetamine
2 – 4 days
Ecstasy
2 – 4 days
Cocaine
Cannabis
Alcohol
Opiates
12 hours – 3 days
2 – 7 days (casual use)
Up to 30 days (heavy use)
12 -24 hours
3 – 5 days
How does substance misuse affect
the workplace?
Legislation
The Human Rights Act 1998
This statute imposes a right to respect of home,
correspondence and private life and has been termed a
right to privacy. This will impose restriction in the manner
in which an employer can interfere with or pry into an
employee’s private life and may create free-standing rights
enforceable against an employer. Emerging case law
suggests that this will not prevent proportionate drug
testing if there are justifiable safety reasons for testing.
Drugs Screening and Testing (JAPAN)
• Justified - The role is so safety-critical, the law requires it, the prevalence of drugs and
alcohol problems in the community where employees live, because of the age group and
available information and statistics of the prevalence of substance misuse within specific
age groups.
• Auditable - The decision making process consultation and testing and results are
auditable.
• Proportionate - The action being taken is proportionate to the problem, or the
risk to health and safety.
• Accountable - The decision making process demonstrates who the policy owner is
• Necessary - The drug testing is necessary to reduce the risk of harm to employees and
public. Act as a deterrent and to ensure a risk free workplace.
What is Tested?
Breath Testing
•
•
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Immediate results
Easy to use
Non-invasive
inexpensive
Urine Testing
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Blood Testing
•
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Accurate measure for alcohol consumption
Limited use for drug detection as many drugs
are expelled quickly with no evidence left
Only recognised medically qualified person can
obtain blood samples
Intrusive
Easier to evade than blood testing
Easier to detect drugs in urine than in blood
Hair Testing
•
•
•
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Not used for alcohol testing.
50-100 hairs per drug need to be tested in
order to exclude external contamination.
Samples must be screened under laboratory
conditions.
Chain-of-custody procedures need to be
adhered to.
When to Test?
•
Pre-Employment
Many organisations require a medical examination before acceptance and this would form part
of the medical. However, the test is only valid for the day it was taken.
•
Random testing
All the workforce is tested in a random process to provide a constant deterrent
•
Routine testing
Testing at specific times. Usually a set number are tested per week through a process of
random selection.
•
With Cause’ Testing
Testing where there is a specific reason e.g. after an accident at work.
•
Employee Assistance Programme
Where an Employee is participation in a programme they may be required to provide a test at
regular intervals following treatment.
•
Disciplinary Action
• Brining controlled drug onto work premises without prescription constitutes
gross misconduct for which dismissal may be justified.
• A substance misuse policy must clearly state the employers position on
this
• An employees refusal to undergo a drug test, or a positive result is not
conclusive proof that they have brought the drug onto the premises'.
• If an employer takes disciplinary action as a result of an employees refusal
to take a drug test, the employer may be in breach of contract.
Drug Misuse Key facts:
Between 2011 and 2012, an estimated 8.9% of adults used an illegal drug.
For young people aged between 16 and 24, the figure was 19.3%.
Although this is the lowest level of drug use since the government started collecting figures in
1996, drug misuse continues to have a negative effect on the health, wellbeing and quality of
life of too many people.
It costs an estimated £15.4 billion every year.
In 2010 reported 320,000 heroin/crack users in England with 170,000 in treatment
In 2008 56 fatal accidents and 207 serious reported accidents involved people impaired by
drug use
What services offer…….
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Reducing harm & staying safe
1:1 support
Building life skills
Resettlement & aftercare
Peer support & voluntary work
BBV screening and Hepatitis B vaccinations
Medical Interventions (Script, Detox, Liver screening,
medication)
 Residential Rehab
THANK YOU
ADDACTION – 01226 289058