Importance of Workplace Drug Testing11 Feb 2020


Workplace drug testing is an important practice to have established in your company’s health and safety policy. If an employee is under the influence of drugs, they pose a huge threat to everyone in the workplace. Drug misuse can affect a worker’s overall productivity, reaction times and judgement resulting in risky behaviour. This increases the likelihood of injuries and possibly fatalities.

One of the main concerns is that drug misuse isn’t often a one-off occurrence, it is more likely a regular habit. This constant state of being under the influence of drugs creates an unsafe work environment for those around them. Physical symptoms are not always obvious and can be easily masked with excuses such as allergic reactions or lack of sleep. This makes it hard to determine whether someone is under the influence until an accident occurs.

The most common reasons for conducting workplace drug tests are:

Pre Employment


Pre employment drug testing is a good way to assert to potential employees that your company takes drug and alcohol misuse very seriously and that the safety of your employees is a priority. This practice allows you to eliminate candidates that may pose a threat to your workplace before going through the complete hiring process.

Random


Random drug testing is a common practice in most workplaces especially those that require the use of heavy machinery and toxic chemicals. You must ensure your employment contracts include clauses that allow you to conduct employee drug testing and the ability to take immediate action on those who are under the influence of drugs while in the workplace.

Post Incident


When an incident occurs in the workplace it is common for the employer to drug test those who were involved to identify whether drug misuse was a variable that played a part in this incident occurring. If so, actions can be taken accordingly.

If you are looking at hiring in a high-risk industry or have concerns of abnormal behaviour in your workplace get in touch with our health and safety advisors today to ensure your workplace is drug free.

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