Lisbon Câmara officials have detected ‘excessive’ alcohol in more than 100 workers, after breathalysing 514 civil servants who volunteered to take part in tests.
The tests, carried out over the last three months, following a directive from Councillor Moreira Marques, discovered that 79.8 per cent had an alcohol rate above 0.3g/l (a value considered to be acceptable) and 20.2 per cent had an even higher content. In total, 104 employees were said to be exercising their duties with an excessive blood alcohol limit.But, even more disturbing, was the fact that almost half (51) had a rate of alcohol greater than 0.5 g/l, the rate at which it is prohibited to drive.
Given these numbers, Lisbon Câmara has decided to introduce routine intoxication tests for all workers within six months. A spokesman for Moreira Marques made it clear that the objective of the tests “was not to persecute, but only to instruct”. Nevertheless, he made it clear that, in future, any employees found with more than 0.3 g/l of alcohol in their blood would be prevented from carrying on with their work.
