Drug & Alcohol Testing
We deliver reliable drug and alcohol testing services to help UK employers identify, deter and manage misuse in the workplace.
The use of alcohol and drugs is becoming an increasingly significant issue in society and UK workplaces. Substance & alcohol misuse leads to a high risk of accidents, inappropriate behaviour, poor discipline, low productivity, absenteeism and presenteeism. In more serious cases, it may result in injuries and even death. Working to protect your workforce from these risks is both your ethical and your legal obligation.
70% of substance abusers are in full time employment. Misusing drugs and alcohol is thought to cause up to 40% of workplace accidents each year.
Onsite drug testing and alcohol screening in the UK
Drug & alcohol tests are an effective way to help minimise the misuse of substances among your staff. Random testing in the workplace can help to identify, deter and rule out cases of drug and alcohol use by employees, with accurate testing carried out onsite at your premises by our occupational health team. Workplace drug testing and alcohol screenings are important tools in any employer’s strategy to keep their staff productive and their workplace safe.
By implementing a drug and alcohol testing program, you are taking the right steps to make sure your substance misuse policy is enforced and that employee compliance with policy rules is monitored.
What is Drug and Alcohol Testing?
Drug and alcohol testing can identify alcohol, illegal drugs and prescription drugs in the body. Employers may choose to test for one or all of these substances, depending on your company policy.
If you’re looking for d&a testing for your UK business, Response Occupational Health delivers two different types of workplace alcohol and drug tests. We offer onsite sample collection for both types of tests.
- Instant testing
Our highly sensitive tests give immediate, accurate results. We use reliable urine drug test kits that can check for 13 different illicit drugs, and Home Office-approved breathalysers to measure blood alcohol content, which are able to identify recent or excessive alcohol consumption.
Instant tests return either a negative or positive result. If the result is positive then the test sample will be sent on to our accredited laboratory for further analysis. Our lab report is legally defensible and court-admissible if needed.
- Laboratory testing
Standalone lab analysis can be used instead of an instant result if you request it.
The timescale for standalone laboratory results will be longer and come at an additional cost. Please contact our team if you would like help deciding whether instant testing or laboratory analysis is the right test type for your workforce.
What are the benefits of drug and alcohol testing for your business?
- Effective deterrent against drug & alcohol misuse in employees
- Definite answer following suspicion
- Ongoing monitoring of employees to ensure that they are meeting company policies
- Reduces the cost of absenteeism
- Increases productivity
- Can identify individuals requiring more support
- Reduces the risk of accidents and mistakes caused by impaired judgement
- Enhances your organisations culture
Discreet and reliable drug and alcohol testing services
Our alcohol and drug misuse services not only cover screening tests and reports. We can also work with you to create and implement a comprehensive company policy to deal with substance abuse. Our occ health team can support your employees by educating them on the topic of drug and alcohol-related problems, and help you manage any policies and compliance going forward.
Please note employers must have employees consent if they want to test for drugs or alcohol. Any policies should be set out in your contract of employment or in the company handbook. You can’t force staff to take a drug or alcohol test, but if they refuse when you have good grounds for testing under a proper occupational health and safety policy, they can face disciplinary action.
Onsite testing
Our onsite drug & alcohol tests ensure that businesses across the UK get fast and accurate results, tailored to their needs.
Your business can opt for instant testing or laboratory testing, and can choose what substances to test for.
Our occupational health team will visit your premises to deliver discreet screening services. You may opt for our quick visit after an accident or incident leading to suspicion that drugs or alcohol may have been a factor.
Alternatively, it can be pre-scheduled for either routine or random drug and alcohol testing in the workplace. Dates can be planned in advance with our Occupational health team.
Virtual training
If you have a workplace drug and alcohol policy, or are thinking of implementing one, it is crucial that you raise awareness and educate staff to inform them of the company’s obligations and their individual responsibilities related to drugs and alcohol.
Our drug & alcohol training and education can cover:
- How drugs and alcohol affect the workplace
- The signs and symptoms of misuse
- Employees’ responsibility
- The company’s responsibility
- How the company will deal with a breach of the policy
- Counselling and support available
These are delivered virtually by our qualified Occupational Health Advisor.
When should you carry out drug & alcohol testing?
We deliver screening for a variety of different work situations and employment stages. These include:
- Pre-employment drug tests – conducted as part of the recruitment process, making the company’s attitude to substance misuse clear from the start
- Random drug tests – used to understand the levels of usage of alcohol and drugs in the workplace. It acts as a deterrent, as all employees will be aware that they could be tested at any time
- With-cause drug tests – with-cause tests are used when a business suspects an employee is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, whether from strange behaviour or because of a rumour or a tip from another employee
- Post-accident drug tests – after an accident or incident to establish whether the influence of drugs or alcohol may have been to blame
- Abstinence monitoring – Regular monitoring after an employee who has tested positive for a substance has been enrolled on an Employee Assistance Programme of rehabilitation
How we can help
Response Occupational Health provides an extensive range of testing and screening services to help organisations remain fully compliant with all health and safety laws and manage drug and alcohol related issues. You can contact us to discuss your requirements and we’ll help you ensure that your workplace remains drug and alcohol-free and compliant with the law.
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If you would like to enquire about any of our services or receive a no obligation quote, please get in touch with our team