In all work places one has to assume that there are employees who have problems with substance abuse. Misuse of alcohol has up to now been, and still is, the most common problem, but we know that use of various types of narcotics has also become more common in the work place. By substance abuse we mean:
use of alcohol or narcotics during working hours
being under the influence of alcohol or narcotics at work
use of alcohol or narcotics in one's leisure time to such an extent that it influences one's work performance
Every employee has an individual responsibility to avoid substance abuse. Should it nevertheless occur, the manager is responsible to deal with the situation. Telenor OHS therefore carries out training in handling of abuse problems for managers with personnel responsibility.
In 2000, a total of 21 cases related to substance abuse were registered. Telenor OHS has assisted managers and employees in the handling of these cases.
The systematic HSE[!] work in Telenor includes a special corporate procedure regarding the prevention and follow-up of substance abuse. However, as with most areas of working environment development, preventative work on attitudes, corporate culture and awareness are more important than procedures and routines. Telenor's companies therefore focus specially on the prevention of substance abuse through internal information and training. The intention is that the training of managers will also enable them to contribute to engendering the desired attitudes regarding substance abuse.
