Drug-testing on the job - Pros and Cons

This article is intended as a companion piece to the different article on alcohol and drug testing courses. It aims to offer a brief introduction to some of the popular positives and negatives, pros and cons that can be experienced when firms decide to implement testing programs in their workplaces.Pros of Drug and Alcohol Testing.Increased Safety:home drug test in-the workplace can make the workplace a better place to be for employees and consumers alike. In safety critical sectors this increase in safety is magnified and the benefits of alcohol and drug testing programmes hugely increased. Testing programmes can also provide piece of mind to workers and customers alike.Reduces Accidents:Evidence exists which suggests that drug and alcohol use increases the risk of injuries at work. These under the influence of drug and alcohol whilst at the office clearly raise the threat of workplace injuries. In sectors where travel is definitely an vital part of the part this risk of accidents increases significantly, presented the well-known elevated risk of road traffic accidents by those reduced by alcohol and drug use. For employers with staff in this position it is their obligation to ensure their staff are fit to travel on company business.Good Practice:For employers, the implementation of successful drug and alcohol policy is not nearly drug and alcohol testing programs. Businesses will discover themselves open to possible litigation should they don't have effective policies and procedures in position when issues occur. Employers have a duty under the misuse of drugs act 1971 to ensure that drugs aren't used or possessed on their areas and have obligations under the trail traffic act 1988 and the transport and works act 1992 if personnel travel business vehicles. Companies also provide legal responsibilities underneath the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 andManagement of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. With this challenging policy and legal structure in mind, it's vital that organizations receive expert advice to make sure that they are meeting their legal obligations.Supportive for Staff with Substance Misuse Problems:Companies with successful drug and alcohol policy in place are in-a powerful place to pro-actively support staff who might be experiencing difficulties with substance misuse. This support isn't of necessity about detection through testing courses, it is also about effective methods that provide support and direction to staff with compound misuse problems.Cons of Drug Testing within the WorkplacePrivacy:Drug testing at work can provide an employer the option for staff to send tests as a dependence on their job. Some staff might consider this a breach of private rights, privacy and be discriminatory practice against personnel, specially when there's no observed cause to conduct a test.Cost:There is definitely an expected expense attached to the execution of drug and alcohol testing courses. The various tests available (which are outlined in another of our articles) all bring different charges, timescales and precision. Although testing in safety critical workplace conditions can pay for it-self (as the cost implication if processes aren't in-place can be extremely high) for different organizations the cost can be consid-erable, especially for large companies with several staff to test.Issues of Trust:If not effectively monitored drug and alcohol testing programmes can result in negative thoughts from staff to supervisors and vice-versa. A 'them and us' culture can form in enterprises with drug and alcohol testing workshops becoming a good example of 'professionals not trusting us' o-r 'thinking we are all using drugs.' These dilemmas are a definite example of the need for organisations to utilize and check with experts in-the execution of drug and alcohol testing programmes.As we have seen organisations need to know about the positives and negatives of employing drug and alcohol testing programmes to make certain that the desired and good outcomes are experienced of their organisations.Without professional support and advice from specialist organisations it can be easy for programmes such as drug and alcohol testing to have negative effects and effects sudden when first imagined. Like many dilemmas it is critical that expert advice is sought and heeded to make sure that enterprises see more 'pros' than 'cons' after implementation.