You can improve safety at work with random drug screening. According to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, in the United Kingdom you have a responsibility to keep the workplace safe, prevent risks to health and make sure that safe working practices are established and adhered to. Use of alcohol or drug in the workplace compromises safety, causes ill health and interferes with productivity.
For some occupations, the safety hazards associated with drug abuse are readily apparent. The idea of a drug user being in control of a motor vehicle is a no brainer. This is as applicable to delivery drivers at it is to those at the wheel of a bus, train or aircraft. Construction workers need clear heads, especially those working on tall buildings or high cranes. Whether it is a sewing machine or a machining tool, people working on machinery should definitely be free of performance-altering substances.
While some occupations are obvious candidates for screening, the less obvious roles need careful monitoring as well. Cashier staff who take money from the general public and give them change in return certainly need to be able to think clearly. Staff in catering or manufacturing roles can make mistakes and result in wastage of raw materials if their threshold for having an accident is reduced by drug use.
Certain substances give people who use them an inflated sense of confidence. This may be acceptable in clowns or rock stars but you do not want your share traders taking senseless risks with millions of pounds of your clients' money. Some drugs have the effect of making people very chatty. These people might give away sensitive information. There are substances that increase aggressive behavior. You really do not want your staff picking fights with each other or, worse, your customers.
Individuals who take recreational drugs do so for two basic reasons. They use them to slow down and chill out. These sorts of drug include marijuana, hash and tranquillizers or sedatives. Sometimes, people take drugs to pep them up. Cocaine and crack are common drugs of choice for this purpose.
Sometimes drug use is so obvious in people that you don't need a screening test to determine that they are using. Some of the physical signs are red, watery eyes, pupils may be either dilated or contracted or the speech may be slow and slurred. Some people, on the other hand, are able to pull it off and still function quite highly. In these cases, random screening testing can be very useful.
Establishing a drug testing policy and implementing it are not always straightforward. If an employer wants to carry out random testing, then it must be genuinely random. It is against the law to single individuals out for testing unless, of course, it is related to their job. Another requirement is to obtain the individual's consent before taking any biological samples off them for testing.
Urine test kits are available for on-site testing. This type of test is the most common and is recognized as the Gold Standard. Testing hair for the presence of drugs is valuable for detecting long-term drug use. This is useful for jobs that have a zero tolerance for substance abuse. Other methods of testing involve collecting saliva or spray or sweat testing.
For some occupations, the safety hazards associated with drug abuse are readily apparent. The idea of a drug user being in control of a motor vehicle is a no brainer. This is as applicable to delivery drivers at it is to those at the wheel of a bus, train or aircraft. Construction workers need clear heads, especially those working on tall buildings or high cranes. Whether it is a sewing machine or a machining tool, people working on machinery should definitely be free of performance-altering substances.
While some occupations are obvious candidates for screening, the less obvious roles need careful monitoring as well. Cashier staff who take money from the general public and give them change in return certainly need to be able to think clearly. Staff in catering or manufacturing roles can make mistakes and result in wastage of raw materials if their threshold for having an accident is reduced by drug use.
Certain substances give people who use them an inflated sense of confidence. This may be acceptable in clowns or rock stars but you do not want your share traders taking senseless risks with millions of pounds of your clients' money. Some drugs have the effect of making people very chatty. These people might give away sensitive information. There are substances that increase aggressive behavior. You really do not want your staff picking fights with each other or, worse, your customers.
Individuals who take recreational drugs do so for two basic reasons. They use them to slow down and chill out. These sorts of drug include marijuana, hash and tranquillizers or sedatives. Sometimes, people take drugs to pep them up. Cocaine and crack are common drugs of choice for this purpose.
Sometimes drug use is so obvious in people that you don't need a screening test to determine that they are using. Some of the physical signs are red, watery eyes, pupils may be either dilated or contracted or the speech may be slow and slurred. Some people, on the other hand, are able to pull it off and still function quite highly. In these cases, random screening testing can be very useful.
Establishing a drug testing policy and implementing it are not always straightforward. If an employer wants to carry out random testing, then it must be genuinely random. It is against the law to single individuals out for testing unless, of course, it is related to their job. Another requirement is to obtain the individual's consent before taking any biological samples off them for testing.
Urine test kits are available for on-site testing. This type of test is the most common and is recognized as the Gold Standard. Testing hair for the presence of drugs is valuable for detecting long-term drug use. This is useful for jobs that have a zero tolerance for substance abuse. Other methods of testing involve collecting saliva or spray or sweat testing.
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Get the details and information you will need to begin an efficient and effective random drug screening program easily! When you learn the benefits of random drug tests, you can improve the safety of your employees with minimal effort.
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