Alcohol testing in the workplace proposed

The Alcohol Health Network is proposing standardised test for employees to identify whether or not they are misusing alcohol.

16:56 08 November 2013

The Alcohol Health Network, an organisation set up to tackle alcohol misuse, is now proposing standardised test for employees to identify whether or not they are misusing alcohol.

Don Shenker, the body’s director and founder, wrote in the British Medical Journal and said that if problems were identified, employers can help their employees during the early stages.

He wrote: "Offering staff confidential use of the 'alcohol use disorders identification test' and brief advice as a self-awareness initiative at work, whether through face to face interactions or leaflets, may well help prevent problems with alcohol at an earlier stage.

"In this way, staff who may be concerned about their drinking or whose level of drinking is not yet apparent to them, can assess the risks their drinking poses to their health and take appropriate action.

"Reducing hazardous drinking also reduces the risk of dependent drinking occurring."

He added: "Employers need also to be convinced of the business case for prevention rather than cure - that is, that it is ultimately more cost effective to prevent and reduce harmful drinking in the general working population, compared with the costs of managing dependent drinking among a minority of staff."