DERRY’S council has approved a new alcohol and drugs policy which includes the provision for staff to undergo testing if they are suspected of being ‘under the influence’ at work.
The new Workplace Alcohol and Drugs Policy was agreed at Tuesday’s meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Governance and Strategic Planning meeting.
Speaking at the meeting, Paula Donnelly, Lead Human Resources Officer with Derry City and Strabane District Council said that council is ‘committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for its employees’, adding that employees were also required ‘to be responsible for their own health and safety and the health and safety of others’.
The meeting was told that the misuse of alcohol and drugs ‘can lead to significant costs and risks in terms of accidents, sickness absence and impaired performance’.
The new policy, Ms Donnelly added, sets out the ‘roles and responsibilities ‘for all employees in relation to alcohol and drugs and also provides a ‘framework’ for employees to seek support for an alcohol or drugs related problem.
In addition, the policy will also provides guidance for managers to support an employee in addressing such a problem and where required, ‘to appropriately manage unsatisfactory conduct, performance or attendance where alcohol and drugs is a contributing factor’.
The meeting heard that this includes the opportunity for Alcohol and Drugs Testing which can be conducted if a manager is suspicious that an employee has ‘reported for duty under the influence of alcohol or drugs’.
Ms Donnelly added that a programme of training on the policy for Line Managers and awareness sessions for all employees will follow.
Commenting, Sinn Fein’s Caoimhe McKnight said she would endorse the policy, as it showed council has a ‘high-level of commitment to the well-being of their staff’.
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