So why is
Workplace Drug Testing required?
According to the
British Crime Survey carried out by the Home Office, nearly half of
all people aged between 16 and 29 have used an illegal drug in the
last 12 months. 70% of substance misusers are working in full-time
employment and are 3.6 times more likely to be involved in an
accident in the workplace than their substance-free colleagues.
Substance misuse is currently costing UK industry an estimated
£12-16 billion every year in workplace accidents, claims for
compensation, ill health, absenteeism, reduced productivity and
criminal activity.
The core issue is that drug and alcohol abuse is a feature of
society, and by bringing society into your workplace you are also
bringing with it all of the dangers associated with substance
misuse.
That's why businesses of all types and backgrounds rely on
Drug-Aware to bring them the significant benefits of a drug and
alcohol free workplace.
Drug and Alcohol
Policy Development and Workplace Drug Testing
When it comes to
workplace drug testing, we have the advantage of being able to offer
all kinds of employers everything they need from start to finish.
Some companies ask
us to take care of the entire process for them – which involves
writing their drug and alcohol policy, training their managers, and
attending their premises to collect samples from their employees –
all the way through to offering medical review services and
organising any rehabilitation.
In most cases, companies ask us to review their current substance
misuse policy to make sure that it is completely legally defensible
and to advise them on how to make it run more smoothly, followed by
drug and alcohol awareness training for their managers.
In our
drug
awareness training courses we discuss the extent of the problem, how
to spot the signs and symptoms of substance abuse, information on
the drugs themselves, your legal obligations, how to facilitate your
company policy, and detailed "chain of custody" workplace drug
testing procedures should you require them to undertake any testing.
Whether the best option for your managers is a full day, half day or
2 hour sessions, the training is very comprehensive and your
satisfaction is guaranteed.
Our trainers are
very experienced and knowledgeable. Our Technical Director,
Christopher Evans has trained staff from over 70 UK HM Prisons,
several Police Forces, and well over a hundred NHS hospitals, drug
treatment centres, GP surgeries, etc. Not to mention the literally
thousands of delegates from all industry sectors who have attended
our training seminars on drug awareness, policy development and
workplace testing.
How to get started
in your workplace
Workplace drug
testing is surprisingly straight forward to set up, and can be very
cost effective. You can test your employees for both drugs and
alcohol for an average of less than £10 per person whilst still
maintaining full chain of custody so that the test results can be
fully relied upon in court.
We recommend workplace drug testing in accident or incident
situations, or when you have a reasonable suspicion that an employee
is possibly unfit for their duties. This means testing when
you have a known problem and substance misuse could be a factor –
and under health and safety at work legislation, you cannot simply
ignore it.
Random drug testing
of employees is above and beyond this basic requirement in the
workplace, so it is up to you (and the nature of your industry) to
decide whether this element of testing is necessary.
Take a look at our
drug awareness training and consultancy page for
course details, etc. Here are what some of our satisfied
customers have had to say:
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