AOD testing set up

Alcohol and Other Drugs monitoring

A risk-based approach is required to determine the management, identification, screening and monitoring of AOD hazards that may arise from employees, subcontractors, clients or visitors adversely affected by AODs.

The AOD Program must be developed in consultation with the Health and Safety Committee and Wellbeing Committee and documented within the Workplace Safety Management Plan.

Be fit for work

Working in a high-risk environment, it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure they are fit for work. Where you believe you may not be fit for work, or someone else may not be fit for work, a supervisor must be notified to avoid any fatigue, mental health or substance-related accident from occurring.

Create a supportive work environment

This includes providing information (through things like posters, training and meetings) related to Wellbeing and mental health and ensuring people are kept informed of what they have access to, and where to go for help, as well as actively working to reduce the stigma around mental illness. It also includes ensuring that the minimum number of Mental Health First Aiders are trained for the workplace, and these are communicated via noticeboards or posters.

Facility Maintenance

Facility Maintenance includes establishing separate areas for workers to eat and socialise away for their work area or desk, and also privacy rooms where confidential conversations can be had with managers or Mental Health First Aiders.

It also includes cleaning being done on a regular basis to ensure hygiene, and may also include the provision of things like healthy snacks for staff, like fruit options and tea.

Desk ergonomics and the hazardous manual task procedure also fall under facility maintenance to ensure that workspaces aren’t doing harm to our people.

Occupational hygiene and wellbeing risk management

When talking about Wellbeing, it also encompasses Occupational Health and Hygiene. So, just as we need to mitigate the risk of hazards to mental health (fatigue management, hours, culture), we also need to do so for physical health, and this includes hazards such as airborne contaminants, carcinogens, contact with asbestos, exposure to UV radiation and heat, and exposure to whole-body or hand-arm vibrations.

Wellbeing Champions

At least one wellbeing champion must be appointed for each workplace as well as a Wellbeing committee (or standing Wellbeing agenda item in the HSC Meetings). The Wellbeing Committee works to ensure that Wellbeing risks are being identified and mitigated through changes, programs and training, and that the Wellbeing and Fatigue Management Plan is kept up to date. The Wellbeing Champion/s is a voice between the workers and the committee and also serves as a support for the workplace mental health first aiders. They must also be trained in MHFA and Blackdog managing for team wellbeing.