Can you imagine making employees take a breath test before work?
December 9, 2008 by Fred HosierPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, That's how they do it in ______
Imagine HR having to do this: Line up employees every morning and have them submit to a breathalyzer test before reporting to work to make sure they’re sober.
Ridiculous? Maybe, but it’s being considered “down under.”
Politicians in Australia are supporting a proposal to require members of parliament (MPs) to take a breath test before voting on any bills.
Several MPs are supporting the proposal after a state parliamentarian resigned his post for pushing a colleague after a Christmas party.
The same MP, Andrew Fraser, was suspended from the New South Wales parliament in 2005 after chasing a minister around the chamber and grabbing him by the shirt before being restrained.
In September, as HRB told you, state police minister Matt Brown was sacked after allegedly dancing in his underpants on a sofa at a drunken post-budget party in his office.
“If you are going to have breathalyzers for people driving cranes, you should have breathalyzers for people writing laws,” Green Party MP John Kaye told The Daily Telegraph.
The Speaker and opposition leader have also supported the idea.
The Telegraph editorialized, “If our politicians are drunk on the job, we’ve a right to know.”
Tags: breathalyzer, drunk, politicians
December 12th, 2008 at 10:41 am
I worked in an industry where we took drug and alcohol tests before entering the field on a daily basis. It was for our protection and the protection of others. I had no complaints and niether did the people who worked there. It all gave us a feeling of safety as we worked with our fellow employee. Once again we have cry babies wanting to control our lives because they are doing things they shouldnt be………
December 12th, 2008 at 11:33 am
I work in Ohio where an employment Breathalyzer Blood Alcohol Test is considered a “medical test.” As such, it must be administered by a medical professional and all medical privacy restrictions apply.
We have trained staff who administer these tests regularly to our clients in a treatment setting, however, if a staff member is under suspicion, we will have to transport them to the hospital for testing.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:15 am
I am a Breath Alcohol Technician Trainer. If the general public had any idea just how many people are under the influence of alcohol every day at work in safety-sensitive jobs, teaching, caring for patients, and caring for children while their parents work, you would want people tested at the beginning and end of every work day. Remember, some people bring their habit to work with them and consume while on the job!