Drug and alcohol testing in the workplace

There is a growing recognition of the increased prevalence of both drug and alcohol misuse, a development which is impacting the workplace and compromising the safety of employees. We’ve seen an acknowledgement of the impact of alcohol and drugs in road safety within the Government’s new road safety strategy, which includes reducing the alcohol limit and the use of interlocks in vehicles for some drink drive offenders. However, while this is a clearly a positive development, for health and safety professionals, alcohol and drug use poses a serious problem for wider workplace safety, which extends beyond driving. Studies suggest that an alarming 40 per cent of industrial accidents are linked to alcohol and, increasingly, drug misuse¹.

It is widely understood that drugs and alcohol can impair judgement, coordination and reaction times, but it’s less widely recognised that these characteristics of impairment continue long after consumption, and often into the next day. 

This is particularly dangerous in safety critical roles, such as those involving the operation of heavy machinery or driving vehicles, whether forklift trucks or heavy goods and passenger carrying vehicles, such as buses and coaches, where any lack in concentration may impact not only the operator themselves but also other work colleagues and members of the public.

Research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development² suggests that one in ten adults in the UK has used controlled drugs in the past year, while 15 per cent of adults consume alcohol at levels considered high risk, and two per cent show signs of dependency. 

This is corroborated by research from leading medical insurer Bupa³, which, earlier this year, reported that 34 per cent of respondents said that they had used or witnessed substance misuse or addictive behaviour during working hours.

Organisations are increasingly recognising that it is likely that they will have some employees who will be affected, and a growing number of businesses are taking proactive steps when it comes to alcohol, drugs and even some prescription medications. In the case of the latter, some commonly prescribed medications used to treat chronic pain, mental ill health, or other conditions, can affect people in different ways and in some cases induce side effects such as blurred vision, dizziness and reduced concentration, consequently having the potential to compromise safety. 

While these prescriptions are clearly necessary, it is important that employees are encouraged to let their employers know if they are taking medications that may impair safety so that appropriate steps can be taken to keep them and their colleagues safe.

The development of drug and alcohol policies and testing programmes is not only a duty of care but also provides good risk management.

Furthermore, it is interesting to note that a proactive approach to workplace testing is not only driven by businesses but increasingly by employees themselves. Research undertaken as part of The Dräger Safety and Health at Work (DSHAW) Report 2022⁴ found that 83 per cent of workers would comply with a corporate drug and alcohol testing programme as they believe it is in everyone’s interest to be safe at work.

This is set in the context that 78 per cent of managers surveyed said that their organisation had concerns about workplace impairment (and resulting injuries/accidents) due to alcohol, drugs and prescribed medications such as antidepressants.

These findings are reinforced by further Dräger research for the 2023 DSHAW report which showed that almost three-quarters (71%) of workers support all employees in their organisation being tested for drugs and alcohol as part of a wider safety at work initiative. This figure increases yet further in what many might consider higher-risk workplaces such as the oil and gas and renewables industries, where over 80% of workers were in favour. 

In relation to how attitudes may evolve in future, opinions differ, but one suggestion is that the increasing use of illegal drugs, alcohol and prescribed medications could lead to both greater awareness of the issues in question and a better understanding of why corporate testing programmes are likely to play a growing role in keeping people safe at work.

A well-thought-out drug and alcohol policy is especially important where safety critical tasks, as defined by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), or workplace driving are involved. A good policy will explain the risks and outline the strategy and controls adopted by the organisation to manage it, while also being fair, transparent and consistent. 

What to consider when adopting a workplace drug and alcohol policy

To comply with UK workplace drug and alcohol obligations, organisations should:

• Create and communicate a clear policy
• Conduct risk assessments to identify safety critical roles
• Implement fair testing procedures, complete with employee consent and confidentiality
• Provide support and resources for employees with substance misuse issues
• Train managers to address misuse effectively

This comprehensive approach helps ensure a safe working environment by managing risks as well as ensuring compliance with health and safety, data protection, and anti-discrimination legislation. 

A strong policy should support employee health and wellbeing, and promote a culture of responsibility, as well as reduce the chance of litigation or adverse publicity and the associated financial losses. Policies should also be in line with – and complement – a workplace’s overall approach to health and safety and should be deployed in a non-punitive way.

Effective management of drug and alcohol misuse in the workplace can include screening and testing, and should consider:

Pre-employment testing

Screening before employment helps to establish a baseline fitness for work, particularly in safety critical roles.

Random testing

Random testing acts as a deterrent and encourages a culture of responsibility and safety.

Post-incident testing

In the event of an incident, testing helps determine whether drugs or alcohol contributed to the incident, whether an accident or error.

For-cause testing 

When there is reasonable cause to consider that an employee may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, a test will support a safety and wellbeing culture and improve education.

Ongoing monitoring and review

Regular screening programmes again support the organisation’s safety and wellbeing culture and identify any employee who may be at risk and need support.

Many companies are introducing in-house screening and testing for alcohol and drugs, using simple non-invasive devices that are quick, discreet and easy to use. Breathalysers to analyse a person’s breath alcohol content are commonly used as part of screening programmes, while data management software make the management of test results and data much simpler. As the requirement for portable and discreet drug testing rises there has been an increase in demand for saliva-based drug screening kits, these can be used to test for a combination of drugs including opiates, amphetamines, methamphetamine, cocaine, benzodiazepines and THC (cannabis) and give a fast, reliable indication of recent drug use and provide results that a manager can act on. 

When it comes to driving for work, the adoption of interlock devices in corporate vehicles provides another device to not only safeguard against driving corporate vehicles while under the influence, but to support alcohol reoffender programmes, where company drivers have been convicted of drink driving. Once installed, the interlock device requires the driver to undertake an alcohol breath test, which, if failed, prevents the engine from being started.

Alcohol interlock devices are becoming increasingly prevalent since the staged introduction of Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 began in July 2022. This regulation focuses on the general safety and the protection of vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users and requires new vehicles to be equipped with alcohol interlock ports, making installation into newer vehicles much easier. 

The introduction of this EU regulation was preceded by an extensive research project by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), which recommended that the UK Government develop and implement an alcohol interlock programme, highlighting the potential role of the devices in preventing reoffending.  It is therefore encouraging that the recent announcement from the Government not only recognises the PACT’s recommendations and proposes a requirement for some drink-drive offenders to have interlocks installed in their vehicles, as a condition of being allowed to drive again.

We’ve already seen a steadily growing interest in this technology from the private sector, which, as well as being used in road vehicles such as cars, school buses and HGVs. These devices can also be installed in vehicles such as forklift trucks, cranes and other safety critical machinery.

If the introduction of a corporate policy appears daunting prospect, Dräger has collaborated with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) to develop a comprehensive best practice guide to drug and alcohol impairment in the workplace, which provides a step-by-step guide to introducing workplace testing. The guide addresses considerations on testing methods – from more common techniques such as breath tests to saliva testing techniques, identifying when different methods are more effective and how to take a balanced approach to ensure both the safety of the workplace and the wellbeing of employees, as well as fostering a supportive environment to retain skilled employees.

Mark Burrup is drug and alcohol testing expert at Draeger Safety UK. To find out more about workplace drug and alcohol testing and to access the guide, go to Drug & Alcohol Testing at Work – effective policies for your company | Draeger

References:
1 UKAT, The hidden cost of substance abuse in the UK 
2 CIPD Managing drug and alcohol misuse at work
3 https://www.bupa.com/news-and-press/press-releases/2025/1-in-3-workers-admit-on-the-job-substance-use-or-addictive-behaviour
4 https://www.draeger.com/en_uk/Safety/The-Draeger-Safety-and-Health-at-Work-Report