While most of us aren’t exposed to drug and alcohol testing very often, when we are it’s usually random testing. And, for most of us, it will be on Queensland roads. You’ll be stopped by the Queensland Police and asked to undergo a random alcohol test or, if they suspect you might be under the influence of drugs, asked to undergo drug testing.
So, you might be surprised that there are other reasons why drug and alcohol testing is carried out in Queensland. Let’s take a look each of them:
Pre-employment drug and alcohol testing
This involves testing potential employees before you commit to hiring them (and unwittingly commit to the safety, morale and productivity issues that employing a person with drug or alcohol issues can have). Pre-employment testing can also be extended to testing of employees who are moving within the organisation or when they’re promoted.
Pre-employment testing, while reasonably common in Australia, has historically been a very common practice in the United States.
Cause drug and alcohol testing
Cause drug and alcohol testing is generally carried out in the workplace, when an employee is suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Incident drug and alcohol testing
Many Queensland workplaces where safety is a priority will conduct incident drug and alcohol testing. This involves testing everyone who has been involved in a workplace accident or incident, to eliminate drugs and alcohol as a factor.
Random drug and alcohol testing in Queensland
Random drug and alcohol testing is the most well-known type of testing on Queensland roads and in our workplaces. Similar to random drug and alcohol testing on Queensland roads, in workplaces it involves selecting a random sample of your employees for drug and alcohol testing.
As we’ve highlighted before in our blogs, to ensure your random drug and alcohol testing doesn’t become predictable, it’s wise to randomise all aspects. This includes holding testing on different days, at different times, in different parts of your workplace and, of course, across a random sample of your employees. If you don’t make your workplace testing random, employees will notice the patterns and modify their behaviour to suit.
Which type of drug and alcohol testing for your Queensland workplace?
Every business is unique so it’s important to decide which combination of drug testing is best for your workplace. If you’re unsure, give Integrity Sampling a call on 1300 SALIVA. We can advise you on the best approach to protect your business.
Integrity Sampling has our Queensland head office in Brisbane, which is supported by a regional network of technicians strategically based to ensure we are able to service most areas of the state. We can help with all aspects of a drug and alcohol management, from policy development and education, to conducting drug and alcohol testing.
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Random drug and alcohol testing is common on Queensland roads and in our workplaces. Credit John Skewes https://bit.ly/2RCB94w
