STAGE 5. Defining the action plan

What steps should be completed?

Step 1: Specify intervention actions

PREVENTIVE INTERVENTIONS IN THE WORKPLACE*

The use and abuse of substances in the workplace involves risks and problems related to health, relationships with colleagues (and with the rest of the person's social environment) and safety at work. Work tensions are a risk factor for developing drug dependence in people who use drugs. Employee substance abuse is also a cost to the company (more absenteeism, lower productivity, more accidents, etc.) and they are also obliged by law to ensure health and safety at work.

Prevention programmes for drug dependence in the workplace are often multicomponent interventions that include educational, awareness, regulatory and counselling strategies, and referrals to treatment services. These interventions can be effective in preventing alcohol and tobacco use by workers.

Work-related preventive interventions:

GOOD FUNCTIONING

Involve all agents involved in the work environment (directors, employees, etc.)  Guarantee employee confidentiality.  Are framed within a company policy developed by the various agents in the work environment to cope with substance use in the workplace, with no punitive objective.  Include brief intervention strategies, counselling and referral to treatment services for workers who need them.  Include a clear communicative component. Are integrated into healthcare programmes, such as prevention of cardiovascular disease. Provide training to manage stress. Train managers, workers and health professionals to fulfil their respective functions in the programme. Include drug use testing only as one more element in a programme that includes the above-mentioned features.

 

* Based on: international standards on drug use prevention (UNODC):