Independently governed drug testing program
Testing for alcohol and drugs should play crucial role in�an organisations OH&S program, especially where majority of the workforce is engaged in safety-critical work. These tests can be tackled in many different ways and at times can be very confusing.
This check-list will help you make the right calls when it comes to in-house drug testing.
1. Distinguish and determine the reasons for conducting a drug test.
Before starting any sort of testing you must be able to pin-point the reason for conducting the drug test, is it in order to identify drug use history or to ensure that the workers are fit? Arriving at a suitable answer will establish the most effective method to use at your workplace.
To determine drug use history, urine testing will provide the answer. however if you are testing for the fitness of workers while they are on site then a saliva test will help single out workers who have recently ingest drugs, allowing you to differentiate who is fit to work that shift.
2. Quality and quantity.
It is important to consider how often (annual or monthly) testing will be done on employees and how many people will be tested . The best method to determine potential drug users is to conduct random testing which can also act as a drug deterrent.
3. Personnel
Once your targets have been set you can then assign personnel to oversee the testing. however the staff chosen must undergo testing officer training with a registered training organisation in order to govern the in-house testing. The course runs for a day and you can also choose an online option if need be.
4. Communication between higher management and employees
Employees need to be given a clear statement outlining all the reasons and details of the drug test in order minimise objections and concerns.
5. Handling Positive results
A secondary/follow up test should be done on any non-negative result, this test takes place externally in a proper lab. If the secondary test also shows a positive for drug use necessary steps need to be taken as documented in you company policies.