Dagga is not the answer boet!

Inside this issue...

- Dagga causes depression
- We need your help!
- Your week in review

Dear health and safety reader,

The media is a-buzz with Brad Pitt's disclosure of his dagga addiction in the 90s, but sadly the media does not cover the stories of your neighbour, relative, colleague or friend who battles with depression. The dagga - depression cycle plagues many South Africans and is more common than you think!

Dagga causes depression

Although Brad Pitt turned to dagga to combat depression, it is a lesser-known fact that substance abuse directly affect the brain and therefore causes depression. Substance abuse can cause depression and depression can cause substance abuse. For example, dagga slows down brain functioning and diminishes cognitive abilities. It can therefore cause depression in a significant number of individuals. Alcohol can do the same thing. Cocaine tends to elevate people's moods, but when they come off it, they often experience a crash into depression. And there is a whole long list of other popular drug choices that also can lead to depression either during the time when the individual is intoxicated with the drug, or during the withdrawal phase.

If you think that an employee is abusing a substance, take action! Don't let the problem escalate because there are huge health and safety risks involved. I recently published and updated an extensive document that covers substance abuse in the workplace. For guidelines, legal rights, tips and advice, turn to D01 in your Health and Safety Advisor. If you do not have the 2011 edition, go and download it today!

We need your help!

In order to provide the best possible service to you, our readers and subscribers, please help us out by telling us more about you!

It will take you 2 minutes to complete this survey, and in return for your time and extremely valuable and important feedback, we're giving you an 8 page long FREE REPORT!

Click HERE to complete this survey and download the report called Emergency Equipment: preparing for an emergency. It's as easy as that!

And finally...

Your week in review

Here are the other interesting and useful bulletins we brought you this week:

- Important news that will affect a team in your company – read it now!
The finance team in your company is expecting some important news in 2012. As Vat contributes about 25% to the total revenue income in South Africa, and with rumors that it may increase, it is especially important for local businesses to know everything about Vat in 2012.

- Ergonomics: not always woman-friendly!
From a health and safety perspective, it's a research-proven fact that your female employee is more likely to suffer injuries than her male counterpart! Female employees suffer a higher degree of musculo-skeletal disorders and injuries, followed by fractures and a high incidence of lead poisoning as a result of occupational injuries and illnesses. So now what? Read this bulletin to find out how to protect your female employees!

- The only templates you'll ever need to ensure 100% legal compliancy...
The problem is, where do you begin when you draft your legal register? And how can you be sure you’ve included everything? You may have a template for your canteen inspections, but you're possibly missing one for your first aid box. It's not a simple case of copying and pasting. Each legal register is unique.

- Are you prepared for incidents in your workplace?
Are you prepared when tragic incidents strike at your workplace? The reason I ask this question is because I read a story yesterday about a little girl (she’s 6) who lost three of her toes when her foot got caught in an escalator at a mall in Amanzimtoti. It’s a pretty tragic story because apart from losing 3 of her toes, part of her foot also had to be amputated. What would you do if a tragedy occurred at your workplace?

Make the last Friday of January 2012 count so please remember to complete your survey! Your opinions are very important to us, and you'll be helping us to improve our services to you!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Keep safe and healthy,

Liana Meadon
FSP Business: Health and Safety Advisor