1. Safety and health at the workplace and psychoactive substances use: Guidelines for Workplace Intervention
Torres da Silva, Natacha; Castro, Mário; Pissarra, Patricia; Cleto, Carlos
METHODOLOGYMETHODOLOGYBACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONS
RELEVANT DIMENTIONSRELEVANT DIMENTIONSRELEVANT DIMENTIONSRELEVANT DIMENTIONS
RELEVANT INTERVENTIONSRELEVANT INTERVENTIONSRELEVANT INTERVENTIONSRELEVANT INTERVENTIONS
GUIDELINESGUIDELINESGUIDELINESGUIDELINES
Psychoactive substances consumption has a significant detrimental impact on
workplace. This consumption has a very negative impact on health and work. In
what concerns to alcohol, for instance, it is estimated that each year 138,000
European Union adult citizens years die from alcohol-related diseases and injury.
The most significant direct costs are from lost productivity through absenteeism,
poor performance on the job, accidents and injuries, death and disability.
The workplace offers a convenient access point for health promotion, given that
most adults of working age are likely to be employed and spend a considerable time
at work.
Tackling psychoactive substances use at workplace is especially important in times
of economic difficulty as it increases the risk of unemployment for individual
employees and affects organisational efficiency in general. Addressing psychoactive
substances related harm can also generate benefits for family and friends and the
wider community.
“SACRIFICIAL DRAFT”
In order to review recent evidence regarding the topic, a wide range of stakeholders, employers associations, occupational and health professionals
organisations, trade union representatives, public health service providers and public health policy makers and experts on the field were invited to
comment, discuss and review a rough draft proposed by SICAD (IDT at the time).
This first version, also called “sacrificial draft”, was built on recent relevant studies presenting data from a wide variety of scenarios, mostly European
and national literature, as well as some documents on the legal framework, all previously submitted to a thematic content analysis.
DISCUSSION AND COMMITMENT
Two groups were formed: the Core Group (a group composed of a number of significant stakeholders on the workplace intervention scene, who worked
together to discuss ways of improving technical advice and the contentious issues) and the Expanded Group (which represented the main national
actors concerning the topic and who were asked to adopt the consensual version of the document). Several working meetings were carried out to
harmonise collating data. The cooperation in the preparation of the concluding version of the document has been exemplary and counted on the
participation of two workplace health experts to revise and validate the document in technical terms. A launching event was also carried out. All the
participants subscribed the guidelines and took the responsibility to disseminate it to strategic audiences.
AFFILIATION
The guidelines document was affiliated by the great majority of National Social Partners, namely: Instituto da Droga e daToxicodependência, I.P.,
Autoridade para as Condições de Trabalho, Direcção-Geral de Saúde, União Geral de Trabalhadores, Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses,
Confederação da Indústria Portuguesa, Confederação do Comércio Português, Associação Portuguesa das Empresas do Sector Privado de Emprego,
Sociedade Portuguesa de Medicina do Trabalho, Comissão Nacional de Protecção de Dados, besides several organisations with intervention in the field,
such as Marinha Portuguesa, EDP, GALP Energia, BP Portugal, HOVIONE, UCS TAP, ANA Aeroportos, TAP Portugal.
The document was endorsed by the Portuguese Health and Labour Ministries, published in 2014 and has been a national reference document for
legislations proposals such as the 890/210 resolution of the Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados
Basic programmes are worthwhile but comprehensive interventions (including not only
awareness raising but also a participated workplace policy assessment, review and
improvement, brief interventions and advice and structured programs, referral systems,
testing when appropriate and ensuring confidentiality at all critical points of the custody
chain and also monitoring) are most likely to bring about programmes success.
WORKPLACE IS A CONVENIENT ACCESS POINT FOR HEALTH PROMOTION.
Prevention, identification, counselling, treatment and rehabilitation should be included.
The general objective is to prevent workplace accidents and to promote higher levels of safety, reducing levels of psychoactive substances amongst employees.
The organizational approach must consider a global strategy and should highlight preventive intervention, supporting their workers, their families and community.
Support and confidentiality should be ensured -including clear signposting or referral pathways.
The approach should be systematic and part of a comprehensive intervention, including:
Promoting and developing health promotion policy for workforce;
Establishing a structured programme of awareness raising as part of a wider well-being programme
Ensuring a confidential system for supporting staff screening, testing and referral (these last two, only when apporpriate)
Establishing systems to monitor alcohol/other psychoactive substances-related incidents, accidents and sickness absence
ANDERSON B.K., LARIMER ,M.E. (2002) PROBLEM DRINKING AND THE WORKPLACE: AN INDIVIDUALIZED APPROACH TO PREVENTION. PSYCHOLOGY OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOURS, 16: 243-251.
CASTRO, M., CLETO, C. & TORRES DA SILVA, N. (2014) SEGURANÇA E SAÚDE NO TRABALHO E A PREVENÇÃO DO CONSUMO DE SUBSTÂNCIAS PSICOATIVAS : LINHAS ORIENTADORAS PARAM A INTERVENÇÃO EM MEIO LABORAL /. LISBOA: SERVIÇO DE INTERVENÇÃO NOS COMPORTAMENTOS ADITIVOS E NAS
DEPENDÊNCIAS. ISBN - 978-972-9345-89-0.
CARRILHO, J.M. (2007). MEDICINA NA SEGURANÇA SOCIAL: PSIQUIATRIA FORENSE EM DIREITO PÚBLICO E VERIFICAÇÃO DE INCAPACIDADES PSIQUIÁTRICAS NO ÂMBITO DA SEGURANÇA SOCIAL. LISBOA: PERMANYER PORTUGAL. ISBN 978-972-733-234-2
EUROCARE (2014) THE EWA PROJECT: FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT [ONLINE] AVAILABLE AT: HTTP://WWW.EUROCARE.ORG/EU_PROJECTS/EWA/RESOURCES/DOCUMENTS_AND_PUBLICATIONS (ACESSED: 30 JULY 2015)
ORGANIZAÇÃO INTERNACIONAL DO TRABALHO. (2003). PROBLEMAS LIGADOS AO ÁLCOOL E A DROGAS NO LOCAL DE TRABALHO: UMA EVOLUÇÃO PARA A PREVENÇÃO (EDIÇÃO PORTUGUESA DE 2008). LISBOA: AUTORIDADE PARA AS CONDIÇÕES AOS TRABALHO.
POMPIDOU GROUP, COMMITTEE ON ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS (2008). DRUG TESTING AT SCHOOL AND IN THE WORKPLACE (P-PG/ETHICS (2008)5). STRASBOURG: COUNCIL OF EUROPE.
POMPIDOU GROUP, CO-OPERATION GROUP TO COMBACT DRUG ABUSE AND ILLICIT TRAFFICKING IN DRUGS. (2003). ETHICS AND DRUG USE: SEMINAR ON ETHICS, PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND DRUG ADDICTION (P-PG/ETHICS (2003)4). STRASBOURG: COUNCIL OF EUROPE.
POMPIDOU GROUP, EXPERT COMMITTEE ON ETHICAL ISSUES AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS (2007). OPINION ON DRUG TESTING AT SCHOOL AND IN THE WORKPLACE (P-PG/ETHICS (2007)5). STRASBOURG: COUNCIL OF EUROPE.
REFERENCES
Acknowledgments:
This poster was supported by :
Availability / Proximity / Prevalence
COMMUNITY WORKPLACE
Subcultures
Type of work
Degree of control over work
Job stress
Company policies
Informal controls over drinking/drug use
Availability at work
Promotion of healthful alternatives
WORKER
of risks and benefits of healthful behaviour
AWARENESS
to avoid risks of use and gain benefits of
healthful behaviour
MOTIVATION
about the ways to avoid risks of use and gain
benefits of healthful behaviour
KNOWLEDGE
Alcohol use
Other psychoactive substances use
Healthful behaviours
ATTITUDES, BELIEFS AND INTENTIONS
Age, sex, education, etc
DEMOGRAPHICS
Alcohol or drug use
(frequency, amount, context)
CONSUMPTION
Partnership with other companies, efforts to
decrease availability and prevalence in
surrounding community
COMMUNITY
Awareness to managers/owners and trade unions,
Policies and programs to reduce consumption
WORKPLACE
Discussion groups, video and print materials (awareness raising, motivation and skills related to psychoactive substances consumption and health)
INDIVIDUAL
DesignGráfico-ManuelSeoane