Should I report my suspicions?

[MaryRoze]

I'll preface this by saying I don't like this guy- he's a lazy bastard. I'm trying not to let this cloud my judgement though.

We have a contractor who I suspect is coming to work under the influence. He's frequently late, sometimes looks absolutely terrible, disappears multiple times during the day. I brought this up with his boss and he agreed to give him his notice to leave. So, he's leaving end of September/beginning of October anyway.

During the course of this conversation with his boss, he made just an off-handed comment "I think he's a drinker".

I didn't think anything of it until I heard him wretching/throwing up in the bathroom on Friday. Now I'm adding 2 + 2 and coming up with 5.

We've got a zero tolerance drug and alcohol policy, and this contractor is going to be responsible for a huge high risk operation in a few days time. If something goes wrong / he hasn't planned it properly due to being under the influence, this could end in fatalities.

What do I do?

YABU - he's leaving anyway. double check his plan for the high risk activity and let him get on with it.

YANBU - this is too dangerous to ignore. report.

@MaryRoze great. He's not your problem. The poor fella may need help but you need your job done by competent workers.

This guy is still going to be carrying out the activity that OP will supervise and describes as “high risk” with potential fatalities if things go wrong though, because he’s been given notice and will stay in place for the next few weeks.

for something that you describe as a “huge” project that could result in fatalities?

Yes

It is concerning how surprised you seem by the very notion

@Haggia I took that he's off site. If he's still attending then that's not what OP wants or consented to?

He's not going to be doing the high risk activity. I've already said I've taken him off it and stepped in in his place.

😆

what since your Op this morning

i thought you said you weren’t supervising the project

where do you fit in this scenario?

I think a good barometer for whether you need additional training or perhaps you’re out of your depth… is asking AIBU for guidance on a very serious and potentially fatal work issue

This has to be the most wooly backtracking OP i have ever read on mumsnet

😆

No, since Friday.

I have mentioned it several times on this thread.

I would report it. If something were to happen where whatever this I'd caused serious injury or death, could you live with that?

Definitely couldn't.

Absolutely, moral trumps kindness when it comes to other people's safety.

only after people were WTAF at your OP

which makes NO reference to this extremely key bit of information in any shape of form

i’m guessing this is the contractor you started another thread about pissing you off playing music in his office?!

I didn't mention it in my OP because my question was do I report him for potentially being under the influence at work. I said in my OP that I would check his plan for the activity. Implying there was never any question of me letting him go through with it without a second pair of eyes.

That's the one!

oh OP 😊
being very nosy, how far are you from retirement age?

30 years.

It is going to be a long hard slog i suspect

enjoy evening and hope next week this company gets its arse in gear

Email your own boss to raise your concerns that someone mentioned to you that this person is a drinker and so you are concerned of the safety implications of this if true.

That should be enough.

That’s not really the case in all industries. In construction projects, you would choose the contractor, and you may have some control over who the key people on the project are, but you don’t control and vet every employee of theirs.

But it makes no sense that someone on probation will be given a months notice rather than the standard one week. Especially if they’re a poor performer.

He has to give a handover to his replacement, so I presume that's why the notice period is longer than a week.

imagine failing your probation

and being responsible for handover to your replacement

this scenario just gets better and better

No. Suspicions are gossip except if you have proof so he could just about sue you for his name (though he probably won’t as he is lazy).

Also, what would be the outcome? He will be late and really annoyed?

I think do it smartly and ask him if he is ok as you heard him throwing up. Have a second to take over the second he does something odd. If you oversee all of it, it shouldn’t be the only capable of this job no? So ask the other to come in addition and have that validated by your +1

if people know he is kinda the kind of turning up late or not. As it looks important. It will be granted.

Good luck 🌺

Please report your concerns as soon as possible. If something does go wrong, the man in question could get into a whole heap of trouble aswell as the rest of you. Look at it as your doing it for his benefit, aswell as everyone else's. If he has got problems that's for him to discuss off site with management, maybe he could take some leave without being sacked. You must report your concerns though as soon as possible.