This company learned the hard way what can happen when an employee consumes alcohol on the job. A New Mexico man fell 20 feet to his death after slipping on a plank at a construction site. After the accident, it was discovered that this man along with some of his co-workers had been drinking on the job. One co-worker was arrested for a DWI shortly after the fall as he was leaving the scene of the accident. Not only had this employee been driving on a revoked license for the past 5 years, he had also been arrested previously for drunken driving.
The owner of the company indicated that he had no way of knowing about his employee’s revoked license and never would have allowed his employment if he had. A simple Motor Vehicle Record Check would have provided such information. A random drug and alcohol screening program may have deterred these employees from consuming alcohol during work hours (if keeping their job was important to them). Unfortunately, with all of these safeguards, accidents on the job can always happen. But it is up to the employer to make sure they are doing all that they can to make sure it doesn’t. Not only do employers need to actively protect their employees and customers from workplace accidents, they also need to protect the livelihood of their business.
