Drug And Alcohol Testing In The Workplace

Drug and alcohol testing for companies in the UK

Drug and alcohol testing companies in the UK play a vital role in helping employers maintain a safe and productive workplace environment. These companies offer a range of services designed to assist businesses in implementing and managing drug and alcohol testing policies effectively. 

UK Drug Testing is one of the longest established workplace drug and alcohol testing companies in the UK, and we have over 20 years experience as drug and alcohol testing providers, helping UK companies and employers identify, deter & rule out drug and alcohol misuse in the workplace. 

UK Drug Testing offers comprehensive solutions tailored to the needs of employers across various industries. Our services encompass both drug and alcohol testing, addressing the full spectrum of substance abuse concerns in the workplace.

One of the primary objectives of drug and alcohol testing companies like UK Drug Testing is to assist employers in preventing accidents, injuries, and other negative outcomes resulting from substance abuse among employees. By implementing robust drug testing programs, businesses can identify individuals who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol while on duty, thus mitigating risks and ensuring a safer work environment for all.

Why introduce workplace drug and alcohol testing

Drug and alcohol testing at work can reduce risks and improve safety in the workplace, and on the roads for both your employees and the general public. 

Introducing drug and alcohol testing in your workplace, can result in a healthier safer workplace, and a better working environment for everyone. As well as improved safety at work, workplace drug and alcohol testing can aslo result in better productivity, improved staff health and wellbeing, and a reduction in staff turnover.

Advice for UK companies introducing drug and alcohol testing in the workplace

Over the last 20 years UK Drug Testing have helped thousands of small, medium and large companies in the UK select a safe, accurate and appropriate method of testing for drugs and alcohol in the UK workplace.

Introducing drug and alcohol testing in the workplace for the first time can be a daunting process.

Screening for drugs and alcohol in the workplace with on-site workplace drug and alcohol test kits makes good business sense. This is often referred to as Point of Care Testing (POCT) drug and alcohol testing. It is a lot cheaper than laboratory drug testing every one of your staff. Negative, all clear drug and alcohol test results are available in under 10 minutes and personnel back at work in 15 minutes!

The drug and alcohol test kit membranes in rapid onsite point of care drug test kits are around 96-99% accuracy compared to laboratory drug tests. Accuracy looks at false negative and false positive drug test rates as well as specificity, selectivity, and sensitivity.

ALLTEST drug and alcohol tests are considered the best quality onsite drug and alcohol testing kits available anywhere, and are in fact purchased from us and used by many other workplace drug testing companies in the UK, and also by UK drug testing services and drugs rehab units. 

Drug and alcohol policy

It is a good idea for all businesses to have a company drug and alcohol policy, which makes it clear to employees what the company policy is, and which includes provision for drug and alcohol testing in the workplace. 

UK business on-site drug and alcohol screening guidelines

There are no official guidelines in the UK for using POCT drug tests in business. You are free to select either saliva or urine drug tests for your workplace drug testing, whichever best suits your requirements. If you wish to screen for alcohol as well as drugs it is best top opt for a saliva drug test kits as these ara available to screen for both drugs and alcohol on the same sample. Any non negative drug test results (ie positive ) should be confirmed with a laboratory drug test.

Employee drug and alcohol testing kits

We actually suggest that most employers and UK companies consider saliva drug tests for most workplace drug and alcohol screening as they tend to focus on what's going on right there, at the point of testing, rather than what drugs may have been taken a week before.

Urine drug testing kits do have a role in employment drug screening

Urine drug testing kits are particularly popular for pre-employment drug testing and in more safety-critical roles, where employers require a drug-free behaviour pattern. Cup drug tests are preferred, as the all in one urine collection cup and integrated drug test kit design, is ideal for drug testing kit in the workplace.

What training is required for drug and alcohol screening?

There is no current formal training or qualification requirement for workplace drug and alcohol testing in the UK. Employers should allocate the drug and alcohol testing to nominated staff who can demonstrate a good working knowledge of the drug and alcohol test kit procedure, paperwork, and drug test sample handling.

Sounds complicated? well, it isn't, In reality, workplace drug and alcohol testing kits are no more complicated to use than home pregnancy tests or lateral flow test kits, with which many of us are now very familiar.

Drug test record keeping in the UK workplace 

We can provide a templated drug test procedure and records form which is easily adaptable to the specific drug test kits in use in your workplace, and acts as your paper record for all drug tests carried out at work.

Workplace drug and alcohol testing procedure 

if you need help with your workplace drug and alcohol testing procedure and you are in the UK, we can also provide easy video guides as part of our sales materials for the type of drug tests you buy, see our video-product-demonstration links in each workplace drug test kit product listing.

We can also arrange on-site workplace drug and alcohol testing training in drugs and alcohol awareness, workplace drug and alcohol testing procedure, drug test training for key staff, and drug testing product on-site demonstration at your workplace, if required.

Confirm all non-negative on site drug test results with a lab confirmation drug test.

Confirm all non-negative workplace drug test results with a back to laboratory GC/MS drug test. This protects your business or company if a drug test result is contested, and keeps you legal and compliant with "best practice"

By non-negative we mean any positive on-site drug test result indicating the possibility of a drug being detected, even when this may be down to a prescription of self-medicated medicine (no on-site POCT can differentiate in this situation, so a GC/MS (gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) test needs to be performed on the sample to determine the exact compound causing the on-site positive test.)

See our most popular drug and alcohol testing kits for the workplace

Over the last 20 years we have helped thousands of UK companies select a safe, accurate, appropriate method of testing for drugs and alcohol in the workplace. Contact UK Drug Testing trade team if you require any help or advice on drug and alcohol testing in the workplace.

Drug And Alcohol Testing In The Workplace UK Company information page last reviewed and updated 8/2/24 by Dr Mike Garside