January 9, 2020
According to An Garda Siochana, more than 650 drivers were arrested during the road safety campaign last year. A quarter of those were detained on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol on Christmas Day.
As a business owner and decision-maker, it is important for you to think about the journey you or your colleague will have to make to respond to alarm activations. Having a staff member responding out of hours could have a serious effect on their decision-making ability if they had been enjoying a drink on the night. It is a fact that alcohol impairs judgment. Enjoying a few drinks on the night and having to respond to a Fire Alarm activation may lead to poor decision making on their part.
According to an article issued by Journal.ie, assistant commissioner David Sheahan of the Garda Roads Policing Unit said in a recent interview that Gardaí are aiming to have 20% of the country’s driving population breath tested at checkpoints in 2020 in line with international standards.
Any situation that creates harm or includes stress to a staff member could lead to an insurance claim and unnecessary costs and might even end up in a cost-intensive court case. Also they might end up having their license revoked if caught driving under the influence of alcohol.
Commenting on the rise in drink driving behavior in Ireland, Top Security General Manager Guy Davies said ‘it’s shocking to see how many business owners are aware of the situation and unwittingly letting their colleagues attend to alarms during Christmas holidays & beyond.’
A professional Alarm Response Service can protect your business and your staff from unnecessary risks, threats and costs and most importantly, the inconvenience.