The Narrabri Shire Council has started implementing random drug and alcohol testing for its employees, contractors, and volunteers, according to an article in The Courier.
The random drug testing program is part of the workplace health and safety program of the council. Headed by General Manager Diane Hood, the random drug testing kicked off with Ms. Hood volunteering to the be the first one tested. (more…)
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A small town in the State of New York has established a Workplace Violence Committee in keeping with the requirements of the State Department of Labor’s Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau, according to an article in the Press Republican.
The committee, which is made up of a diverse mix of town employees, will deal with workplace issues that include workplace violence, alcohol and drug use, accident prevention and emergency action, sexual harassment, and fire prevention.
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When implementing a workplace drug testing program, employers have a variety of testing methods to choose from. Hair drug testing is one of them, along with urine and saliva tests. At present, urine drug testing is proving to be the popular choice among employers. However, some are choosing hair drug testing for the purpose, and for good reason. Hair drug testing is perhaps the least invasive of all common drug testing methods. It is a simple and painless testing method that is not likely to elicit complaints from employees. The question, however, is this: how reliable are hair drug tests?
When it was first introduced, the idea of workplace drug testing was not a very popular one. Many sectors of society opposed it, mainly arguing that they violate a worker’s right to privacy. However, that hasn’t deterred many employers from including workplace drug testing programs into their drug and alcohol policies. Today, many employers routinely test their workforce for drug use and abuse. Workplace drug testing is gradually becoming popular, and here are some of the reasons why.
Working in an oilfield is a profession that’s hazardous enough all by itself. Add drugs and alcohol to the mix and you have a pretty dicey situation on hand. The authorities of Greeley in Colorado, USA understand this only too well, and are now aggressively combating drugs in the oilfield, according to an article by Sharon Dunn for The Tribune.
With many jurisdictions in the United States legalising medical marijuana, many employers are now at a loss on how these new laws work vis-à-vis their own drug and alcohol policies, which certainly count marijuana or cannabis as among the substances that could seriously impair their employees while at work. Certainly not helping is the fact that marijuana possession, use and distribution remains prohibited by federal law even when 24 jurisdictions have legalised it.
In light of all the laws about marijuana legalisation, the most pressing question for many employers in the United States is whether or not they can continue implementing their strict drug and alcohol policies and lawfully impose sanctions or penalties—dismissal included–on a worker who fails a cannabis drug test. Conversely, many employers are asking: should medical marijuana be allowed in the workplace?
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Many people are under the impression that the legalisation of cannabis in some states in the United States would encourage other countries like Australia to follow suit. To date, however, the Australian government hasn’t legalised cannabis, and does not appear too eager to do so. Cannabis remains illegal in Australia, and the same goes for many other substances. Here’s a review of drug offences in Australia to show you what’s illegal and what isn’t.
More often than not, office Christmas parties present perhaps the only opportunity for employees to drink alcohol right there in their workplaces without being called out for violating any alcohol or drug policy they have in place. An office Christmas party, however, is not a license to let loose and get drunk. Drunk people could suffer from or cause injuries, or they could behave inappropriately.
In most cases, ruining the office Christmas party should be the least of anyone’s worries. When someone gets injured or gets offended by inappropriate behaviour from a drunk reveller, the employer could be on the receiving end of a workers’ complain, or worse, a lawsuit. For employers, preventing office Christmas party disasters is a must, and here are some tips on how to do just that.
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