A member of the Motor Industry Staff Association (Misa) was lucky to escape dismissal when he tested positive for alcohol after consuming cough syrup.
His blood alcohol level was 0.07 g of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, after taking a cough syrup that had no disclosure of its content.
According to Misa’s chief executive officer for operations, Martlé Keyter, an employee could face dismissal if, based on the evidence provided, they were found guilty of being under the influence of alcohol after using a cough syrup.
“In this case the member was aware that the employer implemented a standard operating procedure (SOP) prohibiting employees from reporting for work after using certain cough syrups that contain 18% alcohol,” said Keyter.
The member ultimately received seven days’ suspension and a written warning after senior legal adviser, Anel Oosthuizen, assisted him to prepare his case.
Misa said he had convinced the presiding officer that he took exceptional care to avoid a cough syrup containing alcohol.
According to the member, he came down with a severe flu but did not have R400 to pay a doctor for a consultation in the village where he stays.
“We no longer have a clinic. After paying the doctor, I still need to pay for the prescription and that is a lot of money.”
He discussed his predicament with his manager and they agreed that he would take annual leave for a week to recover.
While at home, he used the cough syrup containing alcohol, but stopped more than 24 hours prior to returning to work.
According to a pharmacist, who did not want to be named, non-alcohol cough syrup is used to loosen mucus.
“When the cough becomes more severe, the patient develops symptoms of bronchitis. This is when you require a stronger cough syrup. Unfortunately, a lot of these syrups contain alcohol as preservative,” he explained.
He confirmed that cough syrup could have a more severe impact on the blood alcohol level than, for example, one beer or a glass of wine, which is the known norm if you don’t want to exceed the alcohol limit of 0.05 g of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood (1 unit of alcohol is equivalent to 0.02 g blood alcohol).
A glass (150ml) of wine is equivalent to 2 units and a beer is equivalent to 1.5 units or possibly more.
Keyter warned the public to always ask the pharmacist if a cough syrup contains alcohol if there is no label disclosing the content of the syrup.
“Prevention is always better than cure,” she said.
Cape Times