Safe, clear-headed workplaces.

Why employers test

Most private employers aren’t required by law to drug test, but more and more are aware of the impact drugs can have on safe working. You’re responsible for a safe workplace and for the safety of the public your employees deal with. The top three reasons employers include testing:

• Avoiding legal liability if an impaired employee causes an accident or harms someone at work.
• Maintaining productivity by preventing the effects of substance misuse.
• Making sure employees aren’t compromised by illegal or prescribed medication.

Which method is right for your employees?

Oral swab. Detects use within roughly 5–48 hours, and the swab never leaves the practitioner’s line of sight. It identifies amphetamines, benzodiazepines, cocaine, methamphetamine, opiates and cannabis.

Urine sample. Tests for 13 prescribed and recreational drugs over a 3–5 day window. It’s the most widely used method, gives instant point-of-care results, and samples can be retained for laboratory confirmation. Detection is longer and more reliable for some drugs, cannabis in particular, than saliva screening.

Breath alcohol. A workplace alcohol testing programme is a proven deterrent to alcohol misuse at work.

When to test

We support pre-placement and random testing, as well as for-cause testing (also called ‘with cause’ or ‘reasonable suspicion’) where there are grounds to suspect misuse. That includes post-incident testing, where you want to rule drugs or alcohol in or out as a factor in an accident.

Your drug and alcohol policy

A testing programme should be backed by a robust drug and alcohol policy. Many organisations put this off, assuming it will be time-consuming and complex. We can help you develop a policy that fits your organisation.