Drugs & Alcohol Toolbox Talk

Title Page

Introduction

This talk discusses how alcohol and drugs can affect your safety and that of others

Alcohol

Do you think the use of drugs or alcohol on site is increasing or decreasing?
Construction is a high risk industry. High risk activities and alcohol do not mix. When working on site you need to be alert and fully focused on the task at hand.
Alcohol is a drug that depresses parts of the brain function which makes staying alert and focused more difficult
If you are found to be under the influence of alcohol, you won’t be allowed on, or will be removed from site and you could lose your job
It takes roughly one hour for your liver to process (metabolize) one unit of alcohol.
One pint of 4% beer is equal to 2.4 units, so it will take at least two and a half hours to remove the alcohol of one pint of beer from your body
Roughly two pints of strong lager or ale will put the average male over the recommended daily limit.
One and a half pints puts the average woman over the recommended limit
Many workplace and driving fatal accidents have been alcohol-related
Do not expect to work safely on site the next day after getting drunk. Alcohol may take more time than you think to be processed and removed from your system and you could still be over the limit when you drive to work. Police now stop more people in the mornings travelling to work than an evening. If you have an hangover you will not work efficiently and carefully, therefore putting yourself and others at risk.

Drugs prescribed by your doctor could make you unfit for work, as can illegal drugs (including those commonly known as legal highs, which are illegal under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016)
You are much more likely to have an accident on site when you are under the influence of drugs or legal highs. All drugs can affect your ability to work safely
Slow reaction times, clumsiness, poor decision-making and distorted vision are some of the effects of drugs.
If you know someone is under the influence of drugs at work, don’t think that it’s not your problem. You have a duty to report it, it may save their life or the lives of others.
Cannabis: 7-30 days
Cocaine: 3-4 days
Codeine: 1 day
Heroin: 3-4 days
Amphetamines: 1-3 days

 What negative effects can alcohol have on you?
If you are found to be under the influence of alcohol on site, what can happen to you?
If you took drugs, what effect could it have on you and your workmates?
 Approximately how long does it take for a pint of beer take to get out of your system?
 What should you do if you see a colleague, or another person on site taking drugs?
Inform your workers of the company’s policy regarding alcohol and drug use and misuse