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August 29, 2013

Having Fun on Labor Day Without Risking Your Job

Judy Boyle

Many holidays have become excuses for long weekends and excessive partying. I don’t want to be a party pooper, but for those who perform safety-sensitive duties, you need to be aware of the potential consequences that drinking alcohol can have on your job. With this in mind, I have tried to make a list of things that you can do on this coming holiday weekend that are fun, while not putting your job on the line.

Now, before I get too deep here, I want to remind you that this will depend heavily on exactly where you are in the country. I have tried to pick things around the country, but I urge you to go check your local newspapers to see the fun happenings around your town.

Go to a waterpark or the beach

It has been hot around the entire country and Beachjust about everybody could use a good day at a waterpark or the beach. Waterparks provide a ton of alcohol free fun that you and your whole family can enjoy together. Slides can provide hours of fun for all ages and wave pools are just as fun as you remember. Beaches are great places for you to go, hang out in the sun, play some volleyball, surf, or do a hundred other things without having to crack open a brew.

Go on a bike ride

BikeRide.tahoeSeriously. When was the last time you went on a bike ride? Many of us loved to ride our bikes as kids but as we got older, learned to drive and got jobs, we stopped doing this fun activity. In almost every place around the world, you can rent bikes for cheap, see your city and enjoy the nice weather.

Find a music festival

Chicago hosts their 35th Annual Jazz Festival from the 29th of August through the 1st of September where you can find free jazz music. This is just one example, as you can go around the country and find a bunch of music festivals where you can listen to some great music, hang out, and enjoy your weekend.

Go to a carnival

Carnivals are a great, family friendly environment Fireworks.LakeTahoethat you can enjoy this holiday weekend. In Lake Tahoe, for example, there is a great carnival that has plenty of live music, fun rides, and access to a beautiful lake where there will be fireworks on Sunday night. You can also compete in the Heavenly Mountain Run, where you can run from the California base lodge at 6,565 ft. in elevation up to the Tamarack lodge at 9,150ft.

Go to a race

In here, I mean any kind of race you want to attend. In Baltimore, there is the Grand Prix of Baltimore where you can watch F1 cars speed around a track at 180mph. For those of you in Virginia Beach, you can go to or compete in the Rock and Roll Half Marathon. Various other races are held around the country this weekend and finding a fun one can be a great way to enjoy your weekend. Near Park City? Go to the Running of the Balls where you can pay for a ball and then watch the awesomeness come racing down to the bottom of the hill as all of them are released at once. Winners get airline tickets, ski passes, and a bunch of other prizes.

Go to a ball game

The smell of the grass, the crack of a bat… baseball Fenwayis winding down and provides some excellent opportunities to take part in America’s favorite past time. If you are an avid baseball fan, the season is winding down and there are still a lot of division races in question and play off spots that are being fought for. If you are a casual fan, it is tough to beat a day at the park with some friends and good food.

 

 In general, there are tons of things to do. Near you may be some very fun things that you never knew existed. And, best of all, you don’t need alcohol to have a great time with these. I am always asked how long alcohol stays in your system. Though we may wish there was an easy, exact answer, there isn’t. Things like an individual’s metabolism, body mass, age, hydration level, physical activity levels, medication— all will have a significant impact on how long the alcohol remains in your body and how long they will show up in a test. If you are a safety sensitive employee, you can be randomly tested at any time and consequences range from “Removal from Safety-Sensitive function(s)” to “Permanent disqualification from service.” I have included a link to more consequences for employees engaging in alcohol-related conduct here

Is the risk worth it?

There are plenty of ways you can enjoy your extended weekend that don’t involve alcohol. Don’t put your job at risk unnecessarily.

Doing anything fun that doesn’t involve drinking this weekend? Let us know in the comments section!

I hope everyone has a safe and fun Labor Day!

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