Reasons for Testing

When to test?

Drug and alcohol testing is done to improve safety in the work environment. In many situations, people who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol at work will put themselves and others at risk. Companies run these tests to deter people working on their sites from using drugs and alcohol at work.

There are other reasons for drug testing. A drug and alcohol testing program can help your company:

• Avoid hiring individuals who pose a safety risk
• Identify employees who have alcohol and/or drug problems and help them recover and return to work safely
• Do your due diligence by collecting data to reduce organizational risk and liability
• Help hang on to responsible employees who value safety
• Demonstrate your social responsibility to the communities you work in
• Comply with industry and/or the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations

Helping you achieve your goals.

There are six situations when drug and alcohol testing can be done. Depending on your goals and the requirements you have to meet, you might want to do testing in all or some of these situations.

1. Pre-employment testing: Identify candidates who could pose a risk in safety-sensitive work environments.
2. Pre-access testing: Identify people who could pose a risk in safety-sensitive work environments before giving them access to the work site.
3. Post-incident/post-accident testing: Determine the possible contributing factors of a workplace incident and work to prevent future incidents.
4. Reasonable cause: Objectively evaluate possible factors when there are visible signs and symptoms of substance use impacting workplace safety.
5. Random drug and alcohol testing: Deter substance use and enhance safety policy compliance by testing a random sample of the workforce.
6. Unannounced follow-up testing: Following a policy violation, ensure compliance with the testing program prior to and after being reinstated to work.

Contact us for more information on how to determine when to test.