The seemingly endless round of parties, drinking, eating and lack of sleep take their toll with most incidents caused by a combination of fatigue, alcohol consumption and inattention.
While some people still think they are most entertaining when they are drunk, a recent survey by the WA Health Department showed that 73% of people thought it was inappropriate to be intoxicated in public. The survey also highlighted the importance of being a responsible host at parties with 44% of respondents suggesting that the availability of free alcohol facilitated pubic drunkenness.
If you are hosting or attending parties make sure you plan ahead. Serve plenty of food with drinks and remember to provide alternatives to alcohol such as water and soft drink. When you’re planning a night out, make sure you have a good meal before you leave home and drink plenty of water throughout the night.
Alcohol is a sure way to stack on extra calories over the festive season. The body will utilise the energy source from alcohol before it will use energy from its own fat stores. Remember, drinking alcohol in hot weather can increase your risk of dehydration while you become less aware of the danger signs.
Pilbara Iron's new Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) policy was introduced on January 1, 2005. It provides one consistent set of rules for all Hamersley Iron, Robe River and Pilbara Iron employees and contractors. Under the new guidelines, random testing for alcohol and drugs is carried out on all sites and a three-strike policy applies across the board. You can download a copy of the policy document from the Iron Safe intranet.
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