Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing

Workplace drug testing

Implementing a successful drug testing policy will not only increase productivity, decrease costs and maintain the reputation of the company, but it will also mean that your business is operating lawfully to ensure the safety of your employees and the general public under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (among others).

With the increased availability of drugs, it can lead to critical staffing problems for your business or even legal action. A recent survey showed that 9% of full-time workers have a substance misuse problem.

Random / unannounced drug and alcohol testing

Random / unannounced drug and alcohol testing is one of the best ways to ensure that your employees are working in a safe environment.

Many studies show that random testing is effective in reducing accidents and incidents, ill health, absenteeism and litigation, all of which have an impact on business productivity.

Random testing can protect employees, as well as the business, and choosing the right service provider can save you thousands of pounds in lost revenue and help safeguard your health and safety measures.

With a random drug and alcohol testing policy in place it will be made clear to employees that random testing can be undertaken with short or no notice, and exactly who is to be tested will be unknown by the workforce.

This conforms to all the relevant legislation but greatly reduces the chances of employees using tactics to avoid testing, or change their habits in time to escape a positive result during the testing detection time if they are abusing substances.

Workplace alcohol testing

By performing a random workplace alcohol testing screen, it is possible to identify alcohol abusers before an accident occurs and sanction the necessary treatment.

Implementing a workplace alcohol testing programme is a powerful method proven to deter misuse of alcohol in the workplace.

AlphaBiolabs can help you to create a bespoke workplace alcohol testing programme for your business and implement this policy for a fully managed solution.

For-cause / with-cause / reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing

This includes post-accident / post-incident testing and may be used as part of a drug and alcohol policy when there are reasonable grounds to suspect that there is a misuse of drugs or alcohol in the workplace. This form of testing is sometimes referred to as with-cause testing.

Employers are legally obliged to take measures to protect the safety of employees concerned, members of staff and the general public if they are suspicious that individuals may be unfit to work due to drugs or alcohol misuse (Misuse of Drugs Act 1971).

Pre-employment / pre-appointment testing services

Pre-employment / pre-appointment testing for drugs and alcohol is increasingly common in the workplace and is particularly important during the recruitment process to ensure the future safety of the company and its employees.

Pre-employment drug and alcohol testing is especially important for safety critical positions, where accidents can occur due to lack of concentration or intoxication can cause major accidents or health and safety breaches.

Post-rehab / return-to-work / abstinence / follow-up testing

Post-rehabilitation drug and alcohol testing can be used to check if employees are misusing drugs or alcohol after a previous confirmed positive drug or alcohol test.

It is also referred to as return-to-work testing or abstinence testing or follow-up testing, as it is often used as part of an employee’s reintegration to work.

Drug and alcohol testing does not always have to be used as a means to reprimand someone. If an employee has previously misused drugs or alcohol, post-rehabilitation testing can be used as part of their support plan and give them a second chance.

Drug and alcohol testing policy

We understand that no two businesses will have exactly the same drug and alcohol policy requirements, so we provide bespoke solutions to ensure that you can safeguard your business and its employees with confidence.

Using AlphaBiolabs to fully manage or provide advice regarding your drug and alcohol policy in conjunction with your health and safety procedures ensures that your drug and alcohol policy is independent and impartial. Our programme management and policy advice will also tailor your policy to your needs and provide solutions to any issues or limitations present.

Drug and alcohol awareness training

If you have a drug and alcohol policy, or are thinking of implementing one, then it is important to raise awareness and educate staff to inform them of both the company’s obligations and their individual responsibilities concerning drugs and alcohol within the workplace.

It can reduce any ambiguity about what is unacceptable and provide guidance on what action will be taken if someone is involved with, or accused of, drug or alcohol misuse within the workplace. With AlphaBiolabs this training can be customised for the industry sector and designed to be relevant for employees at all levels within the business.

AlphaBiolabs can also train a representative of your own staff to perform workplace drug testing and sample collection to the highest standards.

This means that they will also be able to collect samples for workplace drug testing and retain the chain of custody. Competency training is also available for those who are already trained in sample collection, to ensure that these standards are adhered to by your chosen representative.