Drugs and alcohol Testing

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Found a suspicious substance or possible drug-taking item or an employee you are concerned maybe impaired?

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Drugs and Alcohol Testing

Objective Health can provide:

No matter why, where or when you need testing performed, we are here to help.

drugs and alcohol testing FAQ's

You could be prosecuted

Drug or alcohol misuse at work breaches legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Transport and Works Act 1992, the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

Testing is evidence that you have attempted to meet your legal obligations.

 

Prevents costly recruitment mistakes

Testing can detect evidence of misuse in prospective employees at the pre-employment stage. Different testing methods can show a candidate’s misuse, from very recent use to long-term.

Spotting a potential problem before it happens could save you from future personnel issues.

 

Acts as a deterrent

Encouraging staff not to misuse is the ultimate goal of a good drugs and alcohol programme, and the possibility of being tested – whether prior to joining a company, at any point during work, when a work incident occurs or if someone raises suspicions of misuse – can be a powerful deterrent to using alcohol or drugs at times that could affect work performance.

 

Protects your business reputation

The damage to a company’s reputation following an alcohol- or drug-related incident can be catastrophic, especially if injury or death is involved.

And by showing your workforce you want to create a safer workplace, your reputation as a considerate employer is enhanced.

It’s all too easy to assume that drug or alcohol users can be spotted easily. Stereotypes of clubbers, junkies, alcoholics and cocaine-snorting executives are often far from reality – in simple terms, anyone could be misusing in the workplace and it can be extremely difficult to tell who those employees are.

Our detailed training modules cover identification of drugs, signs of misuse, spotting drug-taking paraphernalia and many other aspects that can help you uncover the extent of misuse in the workplace. 

Testing normally takes place at the following stages:

 

As part of a job application process

‘Pre-employment’ testing for drugs and alcohol can help ensure the future safety of a business and it’s staff. By checking for evidence of misuse in prospective employees, a business can reduce the chances of employing someone who may misuse in the future and possibly cause a workplace incident.

 

Random testing

Encouraging staff not to misuse is the ultimate goal of a good drugs and alcohol programme, and the possibility of being tested – whether prior to joining a company, at any point during work, when a work incident occurs or if someone raises suspicions of misuse – can be a powerful deterrent to using alcohol or drugs at times that could affect work performance.

 

Post-incident (“For Cause”) or Reasonable Suspicion

Following an accident or incident at work, prompt testing can quickly establish if drugs or alcohol may have been a factor in the event. Employers will also often test if they simply suspect that an employee is impaired at work because of drugs and alcohol.

That often depends on how big a ‘window’ of testing you want to see, as each test medium can show drug use over different lengths of time. Following an accident or reasonable suspicion incident, you only need to know if a substance has been taken recently. For pre-employment tests, you might want to look back over a longer period of time for signs of regular drug use.

We can advise which method of testing would be best suited to each case.

Yes you can, and there are some advantages (for example, the staff you use as testers will usually be onsite) and some disadvantages (your tester could be viewed as being prejudiced or biased if they know the person they are testing).

If you decide to operate tests yourself, you must ensure you have:

 

The right equipment

Having high quality testing equipment is vital if you want your results to stand up to the potential scrutiny of outside agencies such as tribunals or lawyers.

We supply alcohol testing equipment made by the same companies that supply police forces and government departments around the world, and drug testing equipment manufactured by the testing laboratories themselves.

Knowing what a result means, how to ensure it is legally defensible and how to know what other causes of a positive* result could be are reasons why you need to employ specialists in the field, or ensure your testing staff are properly trained themselves.

At Objective Health, our experience in handling test results and training others to do the same gives us the ability to guide you through your options when a failed result occurs.

* we do not use the term “positive” but use “non-negative” as a failed drugs test does not necessarily mean a person is “positive” for illegal drugs. Our training explains such intricacies in more detail.

An employer can’t simply start testing employees for drugs or alcohol. There are many elements to a successful testing programme that need to be in place before actual testing begins – such as having suitable policies and agreements, management and employee training, staff involvement and awareness of the programme, support options, amnesty arrangements and more.

Objective Health can help you put all the building blocks in place to create a robust misuse programme.

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