DRUGS & ALCOHOL
TOP 5 TIPS FOR IMPLEMENTING AN ALCOHOL AND DRUGS TESTING PROGRAMME
• Agree on what you are trying to achieve by testing and how this will work with your other policies and procedures
• Engage staff and unions in the development of the programme and include an amnesty period for people to come forward
• Make the programme independent and something that affects all staff – protect yourself from accusations of unfairness and bullying
• Identify the testing method/s suitable for your programme and monitor and evaluate its effectiveness – ‘test-your-testing’
• If in doubt, take professional advice – it will save you a lot of time and effort in the future!
the testing process and results will have, as training of in-house staff is often inadequate.
The link between poor and degenerating mental health and substance misuse is significant. Around 70% of people who misuse substances have a mental health condition and approximately 70% of people with a mental health problem misuse substances. Whoever carries out your testing regime – be it in- house or external – should not just carry out testing but also be able to pick up on any behavioural, physical and psychological hints that staff may be presenting before, during and after testing.
When implementing a drug and alcohol testing programme, there is no one size fits all approach. Different companies will have different needs depending on the sector they are involved in and the level of risk an employee misusing substances would bring to the company, whether that was associated with the operation of heavy machinery or key decision making. There are common themes however and a policy should cover
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pre-employment screening, screening policies for contractors to adhere to, and random testing programmes.
Any programme must also be updated regularly to keep it relevant, for example, programmes will need updating according to new drug- driving laws and the proposed blanket ban on legal highs in the UK.
“ANY EMPLOYEE SHOULD BE ABLE TO COME FORWARD AT ANY TIME TO DECLARE A DEPENDENCY ISSUE IN CONFIDENCE.”
There are a range of different methods of testing available but again a one size fits all approach does not work. Tests range from oral fluid analysis to hair strand and urine tests, and quality and reliability vary enormously. Local drug use trends should also be considered when choosing a test method as this can also vary.
Once a testing method has been agreed, we recommend that there should be a three-month amnesty period where anyone with an issue can come forward and be given the correct support and education, without the fear of being dismissed. Any employee should be able to come forward at any time to declare a dependency issue in confidence.
Any programme of testing should be fully randomised (usually between five and ten per cent of the workforce) to avoid abuse of the system and avoidance of tests. For the test to be entirely random testing should take place at different times, days and locations (if appropriate) and if there are concerns around deliberate attempts to mislead, you should vary the testing method.
Done well, an integrated programme will improve safety, productivity and directly impact on your bottom line.
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