For-Cause Drug and Alcohol Testing: Essential for Safety-Critical Businesses

In safety-critical environments, employees under the influence of drugs or alcohol can pose severe risks, especially when operating heavy machinery or equipment. To mitigate these dangers, we offer a for-cause drug and alcohol testing service designed to prevent workplace accidents and incidents. For situations where accidents have already occurred, our immediate response call-out service supports post-incident investigations effectively.

How Does the For-Cause Drug Testing Service Work?

Our service provides an immediate response, with a collection officer arriving on-site within 2–3 hours of your call. Alternatively, testing can be scheduled in advance, depending on the specific circumstances. While we tailor our services to meet your organisation’s workplace drug and alcohol policies, best practices typically include:

• A urine point-of-care rapid drug screening, with optional alcohol testing.
• Sending any non-negative results to a UKAS 17025-accredited laboratory for confirmation.

We also provide optional guidance documents, such as an immediate response user guide and assessment forms, to help streamline the process for your organisation.

Scenarios for For-Cause Testing

1. General Allegations:
   Scheduled testing is often used when an allegation of drug or alcohol use is reported but does not pose an immediate safety concern.
2. Suspected Influence at Work:
   Immediate response testing is critical when an employee's behavior indicates they may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, potentially endangering themselves or others.

Examples for post-incident drug testing

We provide drug testing services to many clients in the utilities industry. As a result, cable strikes can happen on a regular basis. As such, a drug and alcohol test must be performed on any individuals involved in the work that led to the cable strike. The immediate response call-out is initiated and we provide a 2-to-3-hour response time to attend the site where the incident happened.

Post-Incident and Post-Accident Testing

• Post-Incident Testing:
  Common in industries like utilities, post-incident drug and alcohol testing is frequently required after events such as cable strikes. We provide a rapid response, attending the incident site within 2–3 hours to test all involved personnel.
• Post-Accident Testing:
  In sectors such as waste management and logistics, post-accident testing is often needed following events involving equipment like forklift trucks. Our immediate response ensures prompt on-site testing to aid investigations.

Building a Proactive Testing Strategy

Relying solely on for-cause or post-incident testing can be a reactive and costly approach. Instead, we recommend integrating drug and alcohol testing into your overall health and safety strategy. Regular pre-employment and random testing can significantly reduce the rate of drug test failures and the need for emergency call-outs. By fostering a proactive testing culture, businesses can enhance safety while lowering costs over time.