Pre-Access Drug and Alcohol Testing
Meet the requirements of site owners, quickly and reliably.
Pre-access drug and alcohol testing is done to meet the requirements of individual site owners. Individual site owners may have slightly different requirements regarding the substances tested for and timelines for testing, to be completed before arriving on location. For compliance purposes, it is important to always clarify the test requirements with the site owner.
With over 4,000 collection sites across Canada and the U.S., we ensure that people can get the occupational health and safety tests they need, at the right time, wherever they are. We can perform drug and alcohol pre-access testing throughout Canada. We’re fast, experienced, and accountable for our results, so you can get your people on-site and know you’re contributing to a safer work environment.
How Pre-Access Drug and Alcohol Testing Works
- The site owner provides the requirements for substances to test for and when testing needs to be completed.
- Testing is Completed. Any positive tests are confirmed at an accredited laboratory to ensure the reliability of results.
- An email notification on new results posted in our secure reporting system will be sent to your representative within 36 to 72 hours of collection when using laboratory testing, and less than 4 hours after collection when using other collection technologies.
- Should non-negative results occur, we provide full support.
Can I Refuse Pre-Access Drug Testing?
Employers can request drug or alcohol testing for safety-sensitive jobs in four different circumstances. For pre-employment, reasonable cause, post-incident testing, and for random drug testing. However, there are several requirements and restrictions that exist for drug and alcohol testing in these types of situations.
Definition of a Safety-Sensitive Position
The Canada Human Rights Commission defines a safety-sensitive position as one where the following conditions exist that the “employee has a direct role, with limited supervision, in a workplace operation where impaired performance could result in a catastrophic incident affecting the health and safety of the employee.” A safety-sensitive position can also include a position where a worker’s incapacity due to impairment on the job could directly injure workers or others that are in the same work area.
Employers can only implement drug and alcohol testing policies for employees working in safety-sensitive positions.
To justify pre-employment drug testing or random testing, the employer must be able to demonstrate that there are inherent risks in the workplace and that these risks make the work highly dangerous or could result in the occurrence of workplace accidents.
Employers must be aware that an employee’s refusal or failure to submit to pre-employment drug and alcohol testing cannot necessarily result in a bona fide offer of employment being withdrawn.
