Drug & alcohol testing at work – effective policies for your company

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Effective screening for workplaces

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It is estimated that 40 per cent of industrial accidents at work are linked to substance abuse¹ , and alcohol misuse alone is estimated to cost UK employers over £7 billion annually in lost productivity.² With extensive expertise and experience in impairment screening Dräger works with policymakers, employers and Health and Safety professionals in workplaces across industry to help them prevent and manage drug and alcohol misuse.

Drug and alcohol policies

Having a clear drug and alcohol policy is essential to manage impairment at work and will protect employees, especially those in safety critical roles or those who drive for work. It will communicate the risks and the measures to manage them and will ultimately support safety, wellbeing and business performance and reputation.

Purpose of testing

Pre-Employment Screening
Random Testing
For-Cause Testing
Ongoing Monitoring and Review

Guide for developing workplace policies

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Free step-by-step guide

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), in partnership with Draeger Safety UK, has published a best practice guide to help employers tackle the issue of alcohol and drug misuse in the workplace. The guide provides a step-by-step framework for developing workplace policies and introducing and conducting fair and confidential impairment testing programmes. Download the ROSPA Guide for Workplace Testing.

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Screening impairment at work

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Choosing the right method

Different testing methodologies exist to screen for impairment. It is important to choose those most suitable to support the purpose of the testing. Where random screening is being used to promote safety or for post-incident or reasonable suspicion testing, most workplaces require methods that measure current impairment and therefore need a detection window from minutes / hours to days. Practical considerations such as invasiveness, time required, and any specialist training or facilities needed should also be considered.

Breath alcohol screening

Screening devices, such as breathalysers, are commonly used to test for alcohol impairment, both in the workplace and at the roadside by the Police.

Advantages

Quick
Measures recent consumption
Non-invasive and discreet
Easy to conduct
Requires minimal training
Accepted results: established method

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Oral fluid (saliva) screening for drugs

Oral Fluid testing is commonly used to test for the presence of drugs and will detect very recent drug usage. The acceptance of oral fluid as a non-invasive, simple method of drug detection has led to its extensive use in a wide variety of settings.

Advantages

Quick
Indicative of very recent consumption
Non-invasive, discreet, hygienic
Easy to collect a sample / observe
Requires minimal training
Difficult to adulterate/ tamper with sample
Special facilities and equipment not required

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Fleet management and driving for work

Alcohol ignition Interlock devices are commonly being introduced where employees drive for work. Whether used in large fleets where HGVs are used, public transport or company cars they can prevent an employee from driving under the influence of alcohol. As employees know that they will need to use the devices every time they start a vehicle, they are discouraged from consuming alcohol before a shift.

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Drug and alcohol testing solutions

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Our testing devices are engineered for accuracy, ease of use, and minimal disruption to operations. From handheld breathalyzers and saliva drug test kits to integrated vehicle interlock systems, Dräger offers scalable solutions for every workplace.