GPHA warns employees against substance abuse

The Director of Tema Port, Sandra Opoku, has cautioned employees of the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority (GPHA) against substance abuse, especially on the premises of the port.

Mrs. Opoku issued the warning during the Port Authority’s Occupational Health, Safety, and Environment Policy sensitization for staff and stakeholders at the Golden Jubilee Terminal and the Fishing Harbour.

She said management had received reports of substance abuse among several employees, saying, “The number of people reporting to the hospital with substance abuse is on the ascendant, and we can't continue wasting our resources on such.”

She stressed that this year, the company has decided it would not pay for any hospital costs covering the rehabilitation of any employee.

“We will be fishing those people out and dealing with them; substance abuse has a ripple effect of absenteeism as it triggers hypertension, among other things,” she added.

She charged the security department of the company to ensure that employees and stakeholders intoxicated with alcohol and drugs should not be allowed access to the port, adding that such persons were dangers to themselves and others.

Dr. Vitus Victor Anaab-Bisi, the General Manager of Health Service at GPHA said that random checks for alcohol and substance abuse would be carried out on employees to ensure compliance with the zero-tolerance policy for substance abuse.

Meanwhile, the GPHA safety handbook, a copy of which is available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), states that an employee and other interested parties would be considered unfit for work if subjected to alcohol testing and found to have a Blood Alcohol Calculator (BAC) above 0.10 mg or 1000 ml or its equivalent BAC of 0.02 percent.

It stated that persons who refused to undergo alcohol or drug testing would also be considered unfit for work, as well as testing positive for drugs measured by sample analysis at a registered pathological laboratory and authorized by a medical doctor.

Also, persons considered unfit include those whose physical, emotional, mental, or behavioural state shows that they are intoxicated, as observed by security personnel, line managers, and fellow employees.

The safety handbook further stated that: “No employee or contractor may possess, sell, use, store, manufacture, transport, distribute, or transfer drugs or alcohol during work hours, on or off port premises; involvement with any unlawful drugs, including their manufacture or distribution, is prohibited during and after work hours. No intoxicated clients, customers, or visitors shall enter or remain on GPHA premises. They will be removed from GPHA premises or refused entry.”