Workplace Testing for Drug & Alcohol Misuse

Drug testing in some safety-critical industries are an important procedure to ensure safety however, it is not always the best solution as implementing it can create mistrust if not managed correctly. There are many factors to consider such as corporate drinking culture for example. Not to mention obtaining consent, legislation and the law. 

Drug testing can be difficult as many substances stay in the body for long periods and a positive result doesn’t always indicate that someone has misused drugs in the workplace or indeed is even currently under the influence however, if your industry is a safety-critical one or you employ for safety-critical roles, you ought to consider integrating compulsory/random drug and alcohol testing into your organisational policy on drugs and alcohol.

The term “Safety critical work” is defined as “Where the ill-health of an individual may compromise their ability to undertake a task that is safety critical, thereby posing a significant risk to the health and safety of others” (CBH, 2015).

“Safety critical work” commonly involve tasks such as operating heavy machinery, driving a vehicle or working at heights to name but just a few. 

If you do want to make drug and alcohol testing a part of your policy, drug and alcohol testing kits are widely available from specialists online. There are several methods that drugs can be detected which will usually include:

• Multi Drug testing cups (urine or saliva)
• Digital breathalyser and mouthpieces
• Alcohol strip detectors (single use)
• Blood Testing
• Hair strand testing

Testing and screening methods can detect the use of most drugs such as alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines and most prescription drugs that are misused however, each method has its advantages as well as its limitations, so it is absolutely necessary to understand what these limitations are to ensure that the method of screening that you choose is the most suitable for your organisational needs.

Aside from detection technology, managers can be trained to use visual assessment measures to detect levels of intoxication and impairment. The police force often will often use a field impairment test which includes five assessment measures: