Long-term isolation has a profound effect on our mental and physical health. While long-term isolation has been known to cause a host of issues, there is another underlying issue that may rear its head: alcohol and drug abuse and dependency.
Both employers and employees have a duty to take care of their own health and to ensure that their behaviour doesn’t adversely affect others around them. That’s why now more than ever, employers from large corporations, smaller privately-owned businesses and areas within the government are turning to testing their staff at regular intervals.
One of the common methods to screen employees or potential employees for drug use is the urine drug test kit. Available in different test strip combinations to detect a wide range of drugs, urine tests are increasingly utilised to reduce the impact of drugs in the workplace.
While urine testing can detect impairment from alcohol, it can only detect the presence of drugs. The test can determine whether a person has used specific drugs in the past few days or weeks, even after the effects have worn off. Urine tests can detect both illegal and prescription drugs.
In Australia, it is legal to perform drug and alcohol testing in the workplace but you must have a drug and alcohol policy in place before implementing a testing programme. How often you test and what you test for will be clarified in this policy.
Introducing workplace drug and alcohol testing can be perceived as hostile by some employees or unions and may negatively impact the way your employees feel about the company and their jobs within it.
Most companies will choose between a urine or saliva drug test, but how do you choose which one is the most suitable for your business?