Random drug & alcohol testing at work
Keep your team safe and productive with tailored random drug and alcohol testing.
40%
of all industrial accidents in the workplace are related to substance use and abuse [1].
Substance abuse can cause impaired judgement [8], slower reaction times [9], and an increased risk of accidents in the workplace [4].
All can lead to problems including:
- Decreased overall employee safety, which causes more sick days [5]
- Increased disruptions, delays and legal issues causing decreased productivity [5]
- Reduced employee compliance, which weakens workplace accountability [5]
Whether you work within Health and safety, HR or wider Management, conducting random drug and alcohol tests enables you to identify and address potential safety risks before they escalate.
Get support to ensure a safe, productive and compliant team.
Create a safe wORKING environment
Random drug and alcohol tests deter your employees from indulging in substance abuse, reducing the risk of accidents. Testing could support the safety of your workforce.
Increase productivity
Screening could help you work towards a workplace free from drug and alcohol abuse so your team remains productive. [6]
Ensure compliance easily
Our fully managed drug and alcohol screen service is tailored to your sector’s standards, helping you ensure compliance without having to manage the testing process yourself.
Looking for random drug & alcohol testing? Racoo screening can help
Random drug & alcohol testing involves checking employees for substances without warning.
Usually, a company chooses to test a set number or percentage of workers every year. Since the selection is entirely random, any worker can be picked multiple times.
Keeping it random and unannounced makes the testing unpredictable, surprising your employees and making them much less likely to abuse substances at work [7].
- Fully managed, so you can focus elsewhere
- Tailored to your company’s needs
- Flexible to suit your shifting priorities
Why Racoo?
FAQs
About random drug testing in the workplace
Yes, it’s legal to drug test employees in the UK, provided it’s included in the employment contract and is justified by health and safety reasons [2]. Random testing is permissible for safety-critical roles [3].
Drug testing is standard in safety-critical sectors. Employers use it to ensure a safe working environment and deter drug or alcohol misuse.
The most common type of test for employment is the saliva test or urine drug screen. They provide a drug test result based on sample collection, detecting recent drug use.
The most common type of random testing at work is post-incident and point-of-care tests. Positive results can lead to disciplinary action, especially if under the influence of drugs.
Unannounced drug and alcohol testing, often termed random testing, involves selecting employees without prior notice for drug testing at work. It aims to deter drug or alcohol misuse and ensure health and safety in the workplace.
A random drug test typically screens for multiple substances. The drug test result can detect drugs like cannabis, cocaine, opiates, and others. Sample collection methods, like urine or saliva, determine the detection window.
Over-the-counter medications and certain foods can sometimes lead to false positive results. For instance, poppy seeds might trigger a positive result for opiates. It’s crucial to consider these factors during drug testing in the workplace to avoid unwarranted disciplinary action.
references
[1] www.readersdigest.co.uk The Hidden Cost of Substance Abuse in the UK Workplace
[2] www.release.org.uk Drug Use at Work
[3] www.hse.gov.uk Managing drug and alcohol misuse at work
[4] www.pelagohealth.com Workplace Safety: The connection between On-the-Job Accidents and Addiction
[5] www.americanaddictioncenters.org The Effects of Substance Abuse in the Workplace
[6] www.wellable.co Workplace Substance Abuse: Indicators, Prevention, & Treatment
[7] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov National Library of Medicine: Random drug and alcohol testing for preventing injury in workers
[8] www.hseni.gov.uk Drugs and alcohol in the workplace
[9] www.ilo.org RAND: Corporation The Effects of Substance Use on Workplace Injuries
[10] www.medicalnewstoday.com What to know about the 10-panel drug test
[11] www.froemkelab.med.nyu.edu True or False: Eating Poppy Seed Pastries Can Lead To a Positive Drug Test for Heroin