In the month that draws society's attention to health in the professional environment, practices focused on the prevention of accidents and occupational diseases gain momentum. The most common are internal campaigns and lectures addressing issues such as: the use of personal protective equipment (PPE); balanced nutrition; consumption of alcohol, cigarettes, and other drugs; physical activity; sexual and psychological harassment, depression, and others. Furthermore, during Green April, devices such as drug screeners and breathalyzers may be used, for educational purposes, to raise awareness about the impacts of illicit drug and alcohol use in the workplace.
Data from a report by the International Labor Organization (ILO) reveal that 20% to 25% of workplace accidents worldwide in 2009 involved people who were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. In addition, a National Survey on Alcohol and Drugs, conducted by the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), in 2012, showed that 7.4 million people reported that alcohol use had a detrimental effect on their work, and 4.6 million confirmed that they had lost their jobs due to alcohol consumption.
“Disease and accident prevention must be part of companies” daily routines; it contributes to everyone's well-being and also prevents problems for professionals and companies alike. Issues such as alcohol and drug consumption, for example, can cause serious implications in the work environment, including accidents, especially when heavy machinery and manual labor are involved," comments Rodrigo Silveira, director of Orbitae, a human and forensic diagnostics company.
Given this, according to the executive, it is essential to work on raising awareness among people within companies and in compliance with labor legislation. Regarding the use of drug detectors and/or breathalyzers in an educational manner, for example, he comments that the technology available today allows tests for alcohol and illicit substance use to be carried out quickly, discreetly, and less invasively, which makes this measure a good instructional option.
“Intelligent Fingerprinting, for example, is a drug screening device capable of identifying the presence in the body of THC, cocaine, derivatives of both, amphetamines, methamphetamines, and opiates. The verification takes place through the sweat present in fingerprints and the result comes out in less than ten minutes,” he explains. Another advantage is that because the test uses only sweat, disposal can be done in regular trash, as there is no biological hazard.
In addition, the executive highlights the Alcoscan, a passive breathalyzer with technology that enables the detection of alcoholic beverage consumption from a distance, meaning without the need for physical contact or the use of a disposable mouthpiece. “This equipment has already been used in various educational DUI checkpoints carried out in the country as a way to guide drivers regarding alcohol consumption,” he states.
SOURCE:
CIPA
