Policy and practice briefingsWorkplaces
Issues
A significant proportion of workers in Europe are likely to have problems associated with alcohol or drug use; for example, it is estimated that between 5 % and 20 % of the working population in Europe have serious problems related to their use of alcohol. In addition to the general public health and social implications, substance use problems are highly relevant in industries where safety issues exist or where individual performance failings can have a significant impact. This includes, but is not limited to, the construction, farming, transport, power, ICT and financial services sectors.
Alcohol use and drug use are important issues in workplaces because:
- they can increase accidents and injuries, absenteeism, and, inappropriate behaviour;
- they can impose an economic burden on employers, governments and society;
- employers have a duty under health and safety laws to protect, as far as reasonable, the health, safety and welfare of employees and others affected by their activities;
- workplaces also provide an opportunity for health education about alcohol and drugs and opportunities to identify individuals who have problems with alcohol and drug use or have family members with drug or alcohol problems.
The workplace also has a potential role in supporting the social reintegration of people with a history of serious drug problems.
European picture
Most European countries have some kind of general legislation or agreements to prohibit or regulate the consumption of alcohol and drugs in the workplace. However, the type of legislation in force and nature of occupational safety and health legislation varies considerably depending on the national culture and the awareness of and priority given to the issue.
There is no up-to-date, comprehensive information on the extent and nature of different types of interventions in workplaces in Europe. There is also very little European evidence regarding effectiveness of different interventions.
Looking to the future, the use of performance-enhancing drugs, such as modafinil for cognitive enhancement, may become a growing issue in the workplace.
Summary of the available evidence
Key principles for the management of drug-related issues in the workplace identified by the UN International Labour Organization
- Drug policies and programmes should promote the prevention, reduction and management of alcohol- and drug-related problems in the workplace.
- Drug-related problems should be considered as health problems, and dealt with like any other health problem at work and covered by the health care systems (public or private) as appropriate.
- Employers and workers and their representatives should jointly assess the effects of alcohol and drug use in the workplace, and cooperate in developing a written policy for the enterprise.
- Employers should cooperate with workers and their representatives to do what is reasonably practicable to identify job situations that contribute to drug-related problems, and take appropriate preventive or remedial action.
- The same restrictions or prohibitions with respect to alcohol should apply to both management personnel and workers to ensure a clear and unambiguous policy.
- Information, education and training programmes about alcohol and drugs should be undertaken in order to promote safety and health in the workplace as part of broad-based health programmes.
- Employers should establish a system to ensure the confidentiality of all information communicated to them concerning alcohol- and drug-related problems.
- Testing of bodily samples for alcohol and drugs in the context of employment involves moral, ethical and legal issues of fundamental importance that require a determination of what is fair and appropriate testing.
- Holding a job is an important factor in facilitating recovery from alcohol- and drug-related problems. Therefore the workplace has a special role to play in assisting individuals with these problems.
- Workers who seek treatment and rehabilitation for alcohol- or drug-related problems should not be discriminated against by the employer and should enjoy normal job security and the same opportunities for transfer and advancement as their colleagues.
- The employer has authority to discipline workers for employment-related misconduct associated with alcohol and drugs, but counselling, treatment and rehabilitation should be preferred to disciplinary action. Should a worker fail to cooperate fully with the treatment programme, the employer may take disciplinary action as appropriate.
- The employer should adopt the principle of non-discrimination in employment based on previous or current use of alcohol or drugs, in accordance with national law and regulations.
Adapted from: Management of alcohol- and drug-related issues in the workplace. An ILO code of practice. Geneva, International Labour Office, 1996.
Implications for policy and practice
Basics
- It recommended that employers have an alcohol and drug use policy as a component of their health and welfare policies rather than as a disciplinary matter.
- The key principles for the management of drug-related issues in the workplace identified by the UN International Labour Organization, and highlighted above, should also be promoted.
Opportunities
- Gaining employment is an important component of reintegration, therefore it is important that people with a past or current alcohol or drug problem are supported back into work. Working with employers to overcome barriers to employing people with a history of drug problems offers benefits to employers, to those trying to overcome their drug problems and to society as a whole.
Gaps
- There is a need for an overview or mapping of existing data sources, current responses and interventions addressing drugs in the workplace as well as evaluation of existing interventions in Europe.
- Research is needed into the extent and nature of the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the workplace and on the effects of their use in that setting.
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About the best practice portal
Disclaimer
While every effort is made to ensure that the information on this page is accurate and up to date, please note that it is not a substitute for the exercise of professional or clinical judgement and we do not intend you to rely upon it when making (or refraining from making) any clinical or individual decision. For more information, please see the Disclaimer in our legal notice.
Best practice definition
Best practice is the best application of available evidence to current activities in the drugs field.
- underlying evidence should be relevant to the problems and issues affecting those involved (professionals, policymakers, drug users, their families);
- methods should be transparent, reliable and transferable and all appropriate evidence should be considered in the classification process;
- experience in implementation, adaptation and training should be systematically collected and made available;
- contextual factors should be studied by modelling different prevalence levels so as to assess the impact of an intervention on the population; and
- evidence of effectiveness and feasibility of implementation should both be considered for the broader decision-making process.
This definition was agreed by a group of experts including the Chairman of the EMCDDA Management Board João Goulão; members of the EMCDDA Scientific Committee; policymakers and top-level researchers in the areas of treatment, prevention and harm reduction.
Best practice portal
The Best practice portal is a resource for professionals, policymakers and researchers in the drugs field. We provide information on the available evidence on drug-related prevention, treatment and harm reduction, focusing on the European context. The evidence is compiled following an explicit methodological process, and is presented according to client profiles. The client profiles are designed according to the European data on illicit drug users collected at the EMCDDA. Currently, the profiles are organised around the main substance of use. We acknowledge that in reality people often use multiple drugs and the interventions provided might reflect this. We are therefore working on how best to accommodate this aspect in the future. In the portal we also provide an overview of the available quality standards and guidelines in the European Union (EU) Member States.
The portal was developed to respond to the EU drugs action plan (2009–12) and specifically to ‘enhance the quality and effectiveness of drug demand reduction activities, taking account of specific needs of drug users according to gender’. In particular, actions 17 and 19 aimed at exchanging ‘good practice guidelines/quality standards for prevention, treatment, harm reduction and rehabilitation interventions and services’ and ‘to develop an EU consensus on minimum quality standards and benchmarks for prevention, treatment, harm reduction and rehabilitation’.
The portal will be continuously updated as information and research on interventions emerges.
Acknowledgments
- Alan Lodwick
- Angelina Brotherhood
- Artur Malczewski
- Ave Tallu
- Charlotte Davies
- Elias Allara
- Fabrizio Faggiano
- Franz Trautman
- Joao Goulao
- John Strang
- Laura Amato
- Marina Davoli
- Marion Weigl
- Maurizio Coletti
- Michael Farrell
- Peer Van der Kreeft
- Richard Velleman
- Tim Pfeiffer-Gerschel
Collaborations and patnerships with external organisations
Below are some of the ongoing collaborations and partnerships involving the EMCDDA's Best practice portal and external organisations.
Collaborations and partnerships in best practice
