19 October 2017

Management of Consumption of Psychoactive Substances: The Importance of a Preventive Approach

  • Workers who use alcohol and other drugs have an absenteeism rate of 2 to 3 times greater than the rest of workers, and 20-25% of accidents occur in workers who are under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, causing injuries to themselves or to others, according to figures presented by Carmen Bueno, Occupational Safety and Health Specialist of the International Labor Organization (ILO) for the Southern Cone, during the seminar "Management of Consumption of Psychoactive Substances in Oil and Gas Companies," held September 20-21 at Torre YPF in Puerto Madero.

    In addition, according to data of the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 6 million deaths each year are due to tobacco, and more than 3 million deaths are due to alcohol abuse.

    Moreover, it was pointed out that currently 205 million people consume illicit drugs in the world. According to figures released by the Secretariat of Comprehensive Policies on Drugs of Argentina (SEDRONAR), the costs generated (low productivity, damage to property, health care, among others) by the consumption of legal and illegal psychoactive substances per year in Argentina represent US$ 4,477.50 million, which is equivalent to 3.69 % of the GDP of Argentina.

    These data, in addition to many others that show the magnitude of the problem, were presented during the event organized by ARPEL with the support of YPF which was attended by 130 professionals from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Italy, Portugal, Peru and Uruguay. The oil and gas industry was represented by Axion Energy, British Petroleum, ECOPETROL, ENAP, ExxonMobil, Oldelval, Pampa Energía, Petrobras, Petroperu, Pluspetrol, Recope, Schlumberger, Shell, Techint, Tecpetrol, TGN, TGS, Weatherford and YPF, among others.

    Some of the topics discussed during the Seminar were: International and regional trends in the consumption of psychoactive substances, training of human resources on the problem of addictions, implementation of business strategies and policies for the prevention of consumption, new screening, detection and monitoring technologies, accompaniment and follow-up of persons with addictions, management of contractors, and new designer drugs.

    The seminar was supported by ILO, Sedronar, the Argentinean Society of Occupational Medicine (SAMT), the Society of Occupational Medicine of the Province of Buenos Aires (SMTBA), the Argentine Center for the Prevention of Addictions at Work (CAPLA), the Argentine Oil and Gas Institute (IAPG) and the Argentine Association of Private Security (AASPRI).

    The full report of the Seminar will be published in November.

    Some of the main conclusions reached at the Seminar are the following:

    • The abuse of psychoactive substances is a growing social problem that is not restricted to the work environment.

    • The easy access to substances, the decline in the perception of the risk, the naturalization of consumption and the decrease in the average age of the first use cause a vicious circle on which action should be taken.

    • Designer drugs are an increasingly important problem and a challenge for the diagnostic industry, since their detection is not simple.

    • It is necessary to define public policies to provide a framework for action by the business sector.

    • The problem is, of course, multidisciplinary, and must be addressed from various areas of the company (HR, Security, Medical Department, etc.), articulating the different areas of knowledge.

    • An addiction is usually the result of a much broader psychosocial problem.

    • The confidence of the personnel in the health teams that implement the corporate policy is key to the success of the actions taken. Such confidence is reinforced by putting the focus on the person, human factors, establishing clear, transparent and consistent rules.

    • Senior management leadership and the proactivity of the trade unions are fundamental aspects for policies to be effective and sustainable.

MORE NEWS

06 March 2024

Arpel-Naturgas Week 2024: energy transitions in Latin America and the Caribbean and the sustainability of the oil and gas industry

Arpel, the Association of Oil, Gas and Renewable Energy Companies of Latin America and the Caribbean, and Naturgas, the Colombian Natural Gas Association, are organizing the Arpel-Naturgas Week, thus combining the 7th Arpel Conference with ...
14 February 2024

Arpel presents regional vision of just energy transitions at Panamanian Association of Business Executives event

The Energy and Fuels Commission of the Panamanian Association of Business Executives (APEDE) organized, on February 7, the XII Energy Forum 2024 in Panama City under the theme “Energy and Fuels Agenda towards a Just ...