Managers accuse consultant of being drunk at work
A recent case where a hospital consultant was wrongly accused of being drunk at work has highlighted the importance of companies having policies and procedures in place to manage reasonable suspicion of employees who report for or are on duty under the influence of an intoxicant (defined as drugs and alcohol) according to the EAP Institute.
The report in the Sunday Independent on Sunday 12thJanuary outlines how two senior managers accused the consultant of being drunk and ordered him to leave the building.The consultant denied the allegation and ordered a blood test which tested negative for alcohol. It is now expected that a legal case for defamation will be taken against the hospital.
According to Maurice Quinlan, Director of the EAP Institute: “We have consistently advised managers during our seminars and in-company training that no employee should be accused of being drunk by a manager who is not qualified to make this determination.The Health and Safety Authority issued an information sheet on intoxicants in September 2011 and contains information on how this matter should be dealt with”.Continuing, Quinlan said “it is important to have policies and procedures in place to deal with such situations. Managers should undergo reasonable suspicion training to develop competence when confronted with the issue of employees reporting under the influence of intoxicants.”
All matters relating to workplace intoxicants will be addressed on two seminars to take place in the Maldron Hotel, Cardiff Lane, Dublin on Thursday 6thFebruary and in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Limerick on Thursday 20thFebruary.
Details at www.eapinstitute.com/documents/drugalcohol2014.pdf
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