DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

D.G.VAISHNAV COLLEGE
NAME : Monisha.M
ROLL NO. : 132460
SUBJECT: LABOUR WELFARE

FACULTY: Prof.C.Thilaga
DATE : 10/08/13

SOCIAL PROBLEMS AFFECTING INDUSTRIAL LABOUR - ALCOHOLISM

What is Alcoholism?
Alcoholism means the compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages,
usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social
standing.
Causes
Alcoholism is influenced by genetic, psychological, social and environmental factors
that have an impact on how it affects your body and behavior.
Genetic causes: Relatives and parents who are alcoholics.
Psychological causes: Thoughts and beliefs, lack of developmental maturity (Routinely
act without thinking. Intent on pursuing impulsive desires without regard to the
consequences), coping with discomfort or stress.
Social & Environmental causes: Peer pressure, advertisements that portray the
pleasures of drinking, building a social image.
Effects:
Health
1 Liver
2 Nervous
system
Heart
Intestines
Brain
3 High blood
pressure
Osteoporosis,
especially in
women
Sexual problems
Cancer
Premature death

Behaviour
Increasing aggression
Self-disclosure
Sexual
adventuresomeness

Work Place
Fatal accidents
Injuries
Accident rates
Absenteeism
Extra sick leave
Loss of production
4 Tardiness/sleep
ing on the job
Crimes
Poor decision
making
Loss of efficiency
Lower morale of
co-workers

Alcoholism at the workplace

Identification of an alcoholic
Slurred or incoherent speech
Poor balance and clumsiness
Redness of the face during or after periods of consumption
Slack in performance
Violence
Habitual lateness
Frequent absences
Neglect of personal grooming
Interpersonal problems
Employee experiencing poor coordination, poor concentration and/or visual
disturbance.
Approaching a worker under the influence
Designated persons who should approach workers who appear to be affected by alcohol,
may include managers, supervisors, OHS representatives and fellow workers.
The approach taken when dealing with an employee whose work performance is
affected by alcohol depends on:
the industry
the workplace culture and structure
the position of the employee
the personality of the employee, and
whether it is a case of long-term harmful use, or a one-off situation .
Options for approaching the employee include:
by their supervisor or more senior manager
by a person designated in the workplace policy, and
by a fellow employee or peer .
Remedial Measures
1. Counselling and Discipline procedure
The procedure for the counselling and if necessary disciplining employees whose work
performance indicates there may be a problem at work with alcohol use should be
consistent with existing awards, agreements and other established counselling and
disciplinary measures which apply in the workplace. Places like the TTK Hospital,
Wisdom Hospital, etc. are well known for providing counselling to employees facing
alcoholism issues.
2. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
An EAP is a confidential service to assist employees resolve personal issues that may be
affecting their work performance such as marital, legal and financial problems and the
use of drugs and alcohol. An EAP may assist an individual to regain satisfactory job
performance.
Establishing an EAP may not be appropriate for many small workplaces although it is
recommended that all workers with drug and alcohol problems are referred for
professional help . Where an employer does not establish an EAP, he/she should

investigate appropriate services to which employees can be referred. EAPs provide a

confidential service to assist employees to resolve personal issues which may affect their
work performance, and can add to the effectiveness of a workplace alcohol policy.
Workers who are identified by supervisors or themselves as having an alcohol problem
should be assisted through recognized treatment or an EAP . Workplaces that use an EAP
often show indirect benefits with a reduction in accidents, sick leave and absenteeism. A
workplace alcohol policy must deal directly with unsafe conditions, stressors and one-off
situations and not rely solely upon an EAP.
3. Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is the act of restoring something to its original state. Alcohol
addictions require a detox program through which all traces of drugs and alcohol are
removed from the body. Once an individual gets through the initial detox from drugs or
alcohol, they will move on to the rehabilitation where the core reasons behind their
addictions are discussed so they can effectively move on with their lives without going
back to drugs, alcohol or their addictive behavior.
DEVELOPING AN ALCOHOL POLICY
The first step for employers in dealing constructively with an alcohol or other drug
related hazard in their workplace is to develop a policy in consultation with employees.
Comprehensive workplace alcohol and other drug policies apply to all workers in the
workplace and include prevention, education, counselling and rehabilitation
arrangements.
Matters to consider when developing a policy include:
The aims and expected outcomes of the policy
The standards of behaviour required to comply with the policy
The value of senior management commitment to the policy and for creating workplace
awareness about the harmful effects of alcohol and other drugs
The factors in the workplace that may contribute to harmful drug and alcohol use
The role of restrictions on the availability of alcohol and other drugs in the workplace,
eg., at company functions
Early intervention: the earlier a problem is addressed, the better the chance of successful
management
Reporting procedures: a confidential process for reporting alcohol and other drug
misuse will encourage both the affected employee and/or others to report hazards.
Consider having a data item in your incident reporting systems that identifies if alcohol or
other drugs involvement may have been a factor
The type of counselling and support services that are most appropriate for the workplace
in question
The education, information and training needs of managers, supervisors and employees
Confidentiality, privacy and anti discrimination requirements
The types of disciplinary action that are suitable for the workplace in question.
Reasons for introducing policies for alcoholism
To promote safety at work
To support employee health
Concerns over deteriorating employee performance

Global strategy to reduce harmful use of alcohol- WHO

1 Leadership, awareness and commitment;
2 Health services' response;
3 Community action;
4 Drink-driving policies and countermeasures;
5 Availability of alcohol;
6 Marketing of alcoholic beverages;
7 Pricing policies;
8 Reducing the negative consequences of drinking and alcohol intoxication;
9 Reducing the public health impact of illicit alcohol and informally produced
alcohol;
10 Monitoring and surveillance.
Case study
The respondent herein, while he was on duty at the Armed Reserve, Palayamkottai was
deputed for Courtallam season Bandobust duty on 9.7.1999 and he reported for duty on
that date at 8.30 PM at the Courtallam Season Police out post. At about 11.00 PM he
visited the Tenkasi bus stand in a drunken state and misbehaved and eve-teased a married
lady, who was waiting along with her husband, to board a bus. The respondent
approached that lady with a dubious intention and threatened both husband and wife
stating that he would book a case against the husband unless the lady accompanied him.
Further, he had disclosed his identity as a police man. Both husband and wife
panicked and complained to a police man, namely, Head Constable Adiyodi, who was
standing along with Head Constable Peter of Tenkasi Police Station on the opposite side
of the bus-stand. They were on night duty at the bus stand. They rushed to the spot and
took the respondent into custody and brought him to Tenkasi Police Station along with
the husband and wife. Following that, a complaint was registered on 10.7.1999 at that
Police Station against the respondent under Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code and
under Section 4 of the Eve-teasing Act. On 10.7.1999, at about 1.25 hrs., the respondent
was taken to the Government Hospital Tenkasi for medical examination. There he was
issued a Certificate of Drunkenness, which reads as follows:
Symptoms at the time of examination: Breath smell of alcohol, Eye congested, Retina
expanded, sluggish reaction to light, speech and activities normal, pulse rate 96, Blood
pressure 122/85.
The respondent was then placed under suspension from 10.7.1999 and departmental
proceedings were initiated under Rule 3(b) of the Tamil Nadu Police Subordinate Service
(Disciplinary and Appeal) Rules, 1955 (in short Tamil Nadu Service Rules) for his highly
reprehensible conduct in behaving in a disorderly manner to a married lady in a drunken
state at Tenkasi bus stand on 9.7.1999. Further, it was also noticed that he was absent
from duty from 07.00 hrs on 10.7.1999 to 03.45 hrs. The Deputy Superintendent of
Police, Armed Reserve, Tiruneveli, conducted a detailed domestic enquiry and after
examining ten prosecution witnesses and perusing fourteen prosecution documents and
after hearing the defence witnesses, submitted a report dated 22.11.1999 finding all the
charges proved against the delinquent respondent. The Superintendent of Police,
Tiruneveli after carefully perusing the enquiry report dismissed the respondent from
service on 4.1.2000.

The respondent, aggrieved by the dismissal order, filed O.A. before the Tamil Nadu
Administrative Tribunal, Chennai. While the O.A. was pending before the Tribunal, the
Judicial Magistrate, Tenkasi rendered the judgment on 20.11.2000 acquitting the
respondent of all the charges. The judgment of the Criminal Court was brought to the
notice of the Tribunal and it was submitted that, on the same set of facts, the delinquent
be not proceeded within the departmental proceeding.
The Tribunal noticed that both, husband and wife, deposed before the Enquiry Officer
that the respondent had committed the offence, which was supported by the other
prosecution witnesses, including the two policemen who took the respondent in custody
from the place of incident. Consequently, the Tribunal took the view that no reliance
could be placed on the judgment of the criminal court. The O.A. was accordingly
dismissed by the Tribunal vide order dated 23.3.2004. The order was challenged by the
respondent in a Writ Petition before the High Court of Madras. The High Court took the
view that if a criminal case and departmental proceedings against an official are based on
the same set of facts and evidence and the criminal case ended in an honourable acquittal
and not on technical grounds, imposing punishment of removal of the delinquent official
from service, based on the findings of domestic enquiry would not be legally sustainable.
The High Court also took the view that the version of the doctor and certificate issued by
him, could not be considered as sufficient material to hold the respondent guilty and that
he had consumed alcohol, but was found normal and had no adverse influence of alcohol.
The High Court, therefore, allowed the writ petition and set aside the impugned order
dismissing him from service. It was further ordered that the respondent be reinstated with
continuity of service forthwith, with back wages from the date of acquittal in the criminal
case, till payment.
REFERENCE
1. http://ncadd.org/learn-about-alcohol/workplace/204-workplace
2. http://www.healthcare-in-india.net/public-health-2/how-alcoholism-is-creating-a-socioeconomic-problem-in-india/
3. http://alcoholism.about.com/od/work/a/bles050920.htm
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism
5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2442454/
6. http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/alcoholism/causes.html
7. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127164011.htm
8. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/11160.php
9. http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/activities/gsrhua/en/
10. http://www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/0731B5C2-3AAA-4A40-b80D25521BDBA23A/0/mandrgalcmisusesr.pdf
11. http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k7/industry/worker.htm
12. http://www.vwa.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/9864/alcohol_workplace.pdf
13. http://www.indiankanoon.org/doc/193665812/
14. http://www.rehabs.com/about/the-addiction-rehabilitation-process/
15. https://www.google.co.in/?
gfe_rd=cr&ei=VnvfU_m3HM_M8gfzyoDYAg&gws_rd=ssl#q=rehabilitation+meaning