Our friends at Barbour recently hosted an alcohol and drug testing in the workplace webinar. One of the speakers at the event, Richard Byrne from Network Rail, took some time-out to answer some your questions that came in after the event had finished.
If you use a system for random testing and apply this to all employees, and not just those that are safety critical, how do you deal with corporate events both lunchtime and evening where alcohol may be consumed?
This should be covered in your organisation’s alcohol and substance mis-use policy, specifically in regard to who the policy applies to and when. This question really underlines how important it is to have a proper consultation when implementing a new policy. Not only with health and safety representatives but it should incorporate other parts of the business,
When instigating a consultation, what timelines should be considered before making the move into testing?
The first thing to remember is that testing is only a part of a good alcohol and substance mis-use policy, the elements of support and education carry just as much importance.
But in response to your question; the time needed for effective consultation depends on the organisation and the means by which you consult and advise of the changes that you have made. Those specialists within employee relations (HR) will be able to offer further guidance.
Can you provide specific examples/case studies of where workers, under the influence of drug and alcohol have caused an incident?
The Health and Safety Executive’s website contains lots of free information on this topic.
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