Alcohol and Drug Testing Services
Workplace Alcohol and Drug Testing Services
I have partnered with a provider of alcohol and drug testing services to help you achieve a safe, healthy and productive workplace. Whether you want to introduce a regular programme of testing or want the reassurance that a test can be organised when you need one I can help you.
In safety and business critical jobs alcohol and drugs can have a serious impact and costly consequences. Implementing a regular programme of alcohol and drug testing can be a key part of your Health and Safety strategy and your duty of care to your employees. Managing the risks protects the individual, their colleagues and your clients, customers and suppliers.
Alcohol and Drug Testing Services
Having an Alcohol, Drug and Substance Misuse Policy is the first step in tackling misuse, if you don’t have one I have a template policy and can work with you to develop that to suit your business requirements. But the policy must be backed up with Alcohol and Drug Testing otherwise you will be vulnerable to as much misuse as if you didn’t have a policy.
The common reasons for Alcohol and Drug Testing in the workplace are as follows:
Pre Employment Testing
For employees who are in safety or business critical roles you will want to be sure you aren’t taking on a risk. In these situations using Alcohol and Drug Testing as part of your recruitment process or probationary period can help you mitigate the risk. Offers of employment can be made subject to satisfactory test results and testing can be carried out before the employee starts work or on an agreed or random date during the probationary period.
Emergency Testing
Emergency testing where you carry out Alcohol and Drug Testing when an employee has been involved in accident at work. The testing will look for evidence of drinking alcohol and use of drugs that could have contributed to the accident. In order for this to happen the fact testing following an accident will happen should be written into your Health and Safety and/or Alcohol and Drug Policy. In these circumstances a tester would be with you within two hours of receiving the request for a test.
Random Programme of Testing
Under a random programme of alcohol and drug testing a tester would attend your premises randomly through the year and test a pre agreed number of employees at each visit. Testing can be random or regular intervals, for instance you could agree there will be one visit a quarter or there will be four visits in a 12 month period. With regards to picking the sample you can give the tester a list of people on site and they pick from that list or you might have one or a selection of employees you want to include and the tester picks the rest. allowing the tester to pick the employees to be tested demonstrates to your employees that the process is fair and transparent.
Back to Work Testing
Where you have an employee who has been off work with alcohol or drug related problems including regular testing in their return to work programme will give you peace of mind that they are remaining alcohol or drug free.
What Happens During and After An Alcohol and Drug Test
The tester will attend your business premises and undertake a breath, saliva and/or urine test on the selected individual(s). The tester will need a private room to carry out the tests and access to a toilet where urine tests are requested.
Drugs which urine screening will identify include: Amphetamine (AMP), Benzodiazepines (BZO), Buprenorphine (BUP), Cannabis (THC), Cocaine (COC), Ketamine (KET), Methadone (MTD), Methamphetamine (MET), Morphine (MOP), and Tramadol (TML).
Alcohol breath testing is completed using a legally defensible electronic breathalyser (calibrated to the Police standard).
Negative and Non-Negative Outcomes
Where the result is negative no further action is required.A non-negative result means that the test wasn’t negative; an amount of substance was detected. It could be a trace amount and within the margin of error, but as it’s not negative the sample will be sent to the laboratory for confirmation analysis.
Laboratory Analysis
Laboratory confirmation analysis for non-negative drugs following a preliminary urine screen produces legally defensible results which are reported within 3 working days of sample receipt, when the sample is received before 12pm that working day. Prices for laboratory analysis are drug confirmed.
Medical Review
Medical Review Officers are licensed physicians, working in the Occupational Health Sector, who provide independent and expert scrutiny of positive results under medical confidentiality. The Medical Review Officers are responsible for reviewing laboratory results and determining whether results indicate the use of drugs in contravention of a company’s rules, or whether there may be a legitimate explanation.
If the donor had declared any medication prior to the saliva or urine test taking place the Medical Review Officer will contact them to discuss the medication under ‘medical in confidence’.
Using a Medical Review Officer is a mandatory requirement for all Network Rail analysis, otherwise it is an optional service.
How The Alcohol and Drug Testing Services Work
Testers are based throughout the UK and are available 24/7 365 days of the year; meaning they can generally respond to emergency call outs within 2 hours.
Annual Retainer
If you choose an annual retainer you would pay an annual fee to access the service. Then each time you need a tester, whether that be for regular testing or following an incident onsite or at a customer site there would be a call out fee, a per person test fee and per drug laboratory processing fee (annual retainer clients save on the PAYG rate).
Pay As You Go
Pay As You Go would be suitable if you want to limit usage to emergency call outs when an incident has happened. In these circumstances there would be a call out fee, a per person test fee and a per drug laboratory processing fee. The tester will respond within one working day.
Want To Know More?
To find out more about the Kea Alcohol and Drug Testing Services please complete the form below and when it lands in my inbox, I will contact you to arrange a mutually convenient time for us to have a chat about your requirements. Alternatively, click the Free Consultation button below and book some time in my diary.
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