The day after the night before: Are your employees drunk at work?!
Are your employees drunk at work? You’ve had the work Christmas party, had a bit too much to drink, and now have a hangover. You might drive into the office, be responsible for staff, operate machinery, or work at heights.
Alcohol is likely to still be in your body from the night before. You could be putting yourself and others at risk.
At a time of year when alcohol is used more than usual, it’s important to take responsibility for yourself and your staff.
Why limit alcohol?
Safety is the primary concern in any workplace. Alcohol consumption can impair judgment, coordination, and reaction times, significantly increasing the risk of accidents and injuries. This is especially critical in industries where employees operate heavy machinery, drive vehicles, or perform other safety-sensitive tasks. Small amounts of alcohol during high-risk tasks can lead to catastrophic accidents, endangering the worker, their colleagues, and the public.
What is the legal alcohol limit at work?
In the UK, there is no specific legal limit for alcohol consumption at work that applies universally across all workplaces. However, employers have a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to ensure their employees’ health, safety, and welfare, which can include managing risks associated with alcohol consumption. A lot of industries opt for zero tolerance.
Some industries, particularly those involving safety-critical work such as transportation (railways, aviation, maritime, and road transport) and certain roles within the construction industry, have specific regulations and limits for alcohol consumption. For example:
1. Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003: This act sets out legal alcohol limits for workers in the rail industry, which are the same as the drink-driving limits (80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, 35 µg per 100 ml of breath, or 107 mg per 100 ml of urine).
2. Road Traffic Act 1988: This act applies to drivers and includes similar limits for drunk driving, which can indirectly affect employees who drive as part of their job.
Employers in other sectors might set their own alcohol policies and limits within their workplace, often outlined in employment contracts or company handbooks. These policies can include random alcohol testing, especially in high-risk environments.
What alcohol limit is drunk?
In the UK, the legal alcohol limit for drivers is specified in terms of the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream, breath, or urine. The limits are as follows:
England, Wales, and Northern Ireland
- Blood alcohol concentration (BAC): 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood
- Breath alcohol concentration: 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters of breath
- Urine alcohol concentration: 107 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of urine
Scotland
- Blood alcohol concentration (BAC): 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood
- Breath alcohol concentration: 22 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters of breath
- Urine alcohol concentration: 67 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of urine
Important to note- these limits are used to determine if a driver is legally “drunk” or over the limit for operating a vehicle .Alcohol affects individuals differently based on factors such as weight, age, metabolism, and food intake, so the exact amount of alcohol consumed to reach these limits can vary.
Check out this calculator https://www.alcohol.org/bac-calculator/
Tips for ensuring you are sober
The main thing is to try and celebrate when you’re not due at work the next day, plus, stop drinking in plenty of time before your next shift. The consequences could be terrible and are just not worth it!
Employees must be aware of and comply with their employer’s alcohol policies to ensure safety and avoid disciplinary action.
Sleep doesn’t always equal sober- alcohol stays in your system for up to X hours. Coffee, cold showers and water don’t speed things up – the only thing to get rid of the booze is TIME – and that’s a sobering thought. Especially if you left a party at midnight and are back at work in the morning. You could still well be over the limit – in effect, still drunk.If you’re worried about the alcohol still in your system after a big night out, you can use this tool to see how much is left. Note that this is not an exact science, and if you have been drinking the night before, the best thing to do is not drive at all.
Do you need help with some ideas to reduce the risk of alcohol in your workplace?
