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Why
test for drugs and/or alcohol ?
The
Health & Safety Monitor reported in November 1992 that drugs in the
workplace cost British businesses between £600 and £800 million
every year in lost sales, accident claims, property damage, high absenteeism
and theft. Since then these sums have spiralled. The worst of it is that
people who have a drug or alcohol problem do not conform to any pre-determined
stereo-types. The well-groomed, intelligent person that you would least
suspect of having a problem could be badly affecting your profits and
endangering other employees. These people could be driving your company
vehicles or operating expensive and possibly dangerous machinery.
As
well as poor job performance, studies of drug testing within large commercial
organisations showed that employees who tested positive for any drug were
almost twice as likely to be absent from work, and have a much higher
employee turnover rate than those who tested negative.
Although
an employer can train managers to learn to detect signs of drug or alcohol
abuse, such as slurred speech or odor of alcohol, this approach is questionable
and can only be of use in establishing suspicion. Drugs such as cocaine
and marijuana can have serious and immediate effects on judgement and
motor ability, but they often cannot be discerned, even by a trained observer.
Employers
are increasingly using drug and alcohol testing as part of a drug and
alcohol free workplace policy. Employers should ensure that applicants
and current emp
loyees
are aware that drug and/or alcohol testing is part of their conditions
of employment. Without an effective drug and alcohol policy the company
may be inadvertently condoning the misuse of drugs and alcohol. Companies
cannot legally “turn a blind eye”. The company’s drug
and alcohol policy should include the steps to be taken when a test is
proved positive.How testing is performed
Drug
testing is performed by urinalysis, and alcohol testing by using either
saliva or urnine samples. These forms of testing do not constitute an
unduly extensive imposition on an individual’s personal privacy
and bodily integrity. Only the positive test results, which usually constitute
a small percentage of the samples, may need to be sent to the laboratory
for confirmation.
Testing
for drugs and/or alcohol can easily be integrated into an existing health-care
programme and so can be performed without loosing any extra “down-time”.
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