The Different Reasons Why Employers Complete Workplace Drug Testing

As an employer, you are responsible for providing a safe and productive workplace for your employees.

While drug and alcohol testing in the workplace has been traditionally implemented in industries such as construction, transport, aviation and more, a shift in Australian workplace culture has seen several businesses introduce drug-testing policies into their workplace.

With a duty to maintain the utmost level of health and wellbeing for all your staff, you are well within your rights to request that employees undergo drug testing, should you suspect the act of substance or alcohol abuse. However, a full Drug & Alcohol policy must be implemented first.

When deciphering what is most appropriate for your business, you’ll need to carefully consider your company’s circumstances and the main reasons for testing. Are you testing to improve safety and productivity? Or are you weeding out high risk individuals to maintain the integrity of your workforce?

From urine drug tests to alcohol breathalysers, read on to understand the different types of testing available and their objectives.

Understanding various drug testing objectives

• A pre-employment drug test is when an employer wants a perspective employee to take a drug test before they recruit. In some cases, the law requires pre-employment drug testing throughout the pre-employment hiring process. Ultimately, a pre-employment drug testing programme is used to protect the company and current employees and clients from the risk of a new employee displaying antisocial behaviour in the workplace, or increased risk to safety on site.
• Blanket drug screening involves testing the whole workforce for substance abuse, ideally implemented at the beginning of a Drug-Safe programme. Typically, this is used to indicate the true level of risk within a company.
• For cause screening tests are best used post blanket screening. This kind of drug testing is used to test when a potential breach or policy is evident.
• After an employee has been involved in an accident while at work, employers can choose to perform post-accident testing to conclude whether the absorption of drugs or alcohol factored into the accident. However, it’s vital to note that a positive result does not prove that substance abuse led to unsafe work practices or the accident itself.
• Finally, the most common type of drug testing within the workplace is defined as random drug testing. This entails a group of employees randomly chosen to undergo testing and is implemented to curb drug use since staff won’t know beforehand whether they are going to be tested.

Implement reliable drug testing for your workplace with MediNat

While many employers know that workplace drug testing employees is entirely legal, it’s important to understand the regulatory rules that have been put in place by the Australian government before you conduct any kind of drug or alcohol testing. MediNat can help you develop a strong and clear drug and alcohol policy for your organisation, helping you to design your workplace policy so that your staff are entirely aware of their obligations as an employee of your business.

Our onsite workplace testing will be carried out by highly trained members of professional testers. For more information regarding our services and products, simply contact us on 1300 725 520 for a confidential discussion about your specific business requirements.