When people think of drug and alcohol testing they often think of random testing, because it’s what we’re most exposed to, usually by roadside police. But when it comes to workplace drug testing and alcohol testing for your Perth or Western Australian business, random is only one form of testing you may want to implement.
There are in fact four main drug testing methodologies that you may consider for your Perth and Western Australian workplace.
Random drug testing
Like on the roadside, workplace random drug testing can be carried out virtually anywhere and at any given day or time. On a factory site, at a truck stop or conceivably anywhere your employees work (unless perhaps your NASA and the work environment is in space!).
A key word here is random. Don’t make the mistake of some workplaces in conducting ‘random’ drug testing on the same day at the same time, otherwise your employees will soon recognise the pattern and potentially change their habits to match. The day, time and sample of employees should be as random as possible for random drug testing to be most effective.
Incident drug testing
If a workplace accident or incident occurs, it’s common for many industries to test all those employees involved. This will help identify or eliminate drugs or alcohol as a potential cause of an accident and is a simple but important part of any robust accident investigation.
Cause drug testing
If an employee is suspected by a supervisor or manager to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, cause drug testing can be carried out.
Pre-employment drug testing
Pre-employment testing is testing of potential employees before you commit to employing them. While providing support to an employee who has a drug or alcohol issue makes good business sense, hiring someone who has an existing issue (and the potential safety, morale and productivity issues that goes with it) doesn’t.
It’s also becoming common for workplaces to conduct drug testing for employees who are promoted or moved within the organisation.
Which type of drug testing should your Perth or Western Australian workplace implement?
Your workplace and business is unique so which drug testing methodologies you employ will need to match your unique needs. You may need just one or you may need all four.
What is certain is the need for your workplace to have a robust drug and alcohol policy, which includes a section on the drug testing methodologies you will use. And don’t forget to tell your employees about the policy and the drug testing methodologies you will employee. Employee education is a key part of any good drug and alcohol management.
Support for your Western Australian business
Integrity Sampling can help you with all aspects of drug and alcohol management, including determining which methodologies of testing to employ, developing a drug and alcohol policy and helping to educate your employees. Plus, we’re also Australia’s leading drug and alcohol testing company, with more than 30 locations across Australia and seven in Western Australia.
For more information see our Western Australian branch page or phone Integrity Sampling on 1300 SALIVA.
