Drug Testing Kits UK, are well aware that at the present time, periodic onsite non-invasive drug & alcohol testing using premium quality British-approved professional kits, is less well known than other categories of workplace drug & alcohol testing. That being said, it is however, crucial to be mindful of the important reasons why you should consider it as an integral part of your company's/organisation's policies & procedures. Moreover, any diligent member of staff can easily learn how to administer them, if you do not want to hire a medic to come in for a day of part-day
Advantages of Periodic Professional Drug & Alcohol Testing
Periodic drug and alcohol testing using superior cutting-edge professional-use, fast, accurate UK-approved testing kits, such as those provided by nationwide industry leader, Drug Testing Kits UK, are highly recommended by our Health Science Advisor.
Periodic drug and alcohol testing is conducted by: implementing a pre-arranged timetable that members of staff know about, and anticipate. Generally speaking, companies, organisations and institutions, conduct periodic testing on a quarterly, half-yearly or annual basis. (Although some incorporate periodic drug and alcohol testing into mandatory physical examinations, which are held every year).
Naturally, each employer can ascertain their own periodic timeframe inline with the company's/organisation's current needs, and monitor the results. Such monitoring is essential, as it will enable employers to view the statistics to see if they need to moderate their random testing frequency. (For example: the company may feel that periodic drug and alcohol testing using professional all-in-one drug and alcohol kits, and the odd random unannounced test, is not sufficient. And to that end, decide to make random alcohol and drug testing more prevalent).
The Perceived Benefits For Employers
There are a substantial number of benefits connected with using superior professional-use drug and alcohol testing kits for periodic testing. These include:
- Ensuring that employees are working at their optimum due to being physically and mentally sound
- Generating good team players who are ready and willing to boost the success of the business/organisation, by having a strong work ethic, and cooperating with each other on the highest level
-
Acknowledgement that they are advancing their productivity, health, safety and morale goals, in a manner which less intrusive and more acceptable for the workforce, as opposed to other measures
-
Having access to discounted bulk buying of innovative, state-of-the-art, premium quality, UK-approved, long storage life, 7 panel, all-in-one drug & alcohol testing kits which come in economy packs of: 25, 50, or 100 tests (these screen for 6 commonly abused drugs plus alcohol), and are provided by Drug Testing Kits UK, along with other top-of-the-range professional-use drug testing kits, including:
- 6 Panel Saliva Drug Test Cases of 25 Tests
- 13 Panel Standard Size Urine Test Cup with Adulterant Test Strip (3 SVT) Cases of 25 Tests
- 13 Panel ECO Size Urine Test Cup with Adulterant Test Strip (3 SVT) Cases of 25 Tests
- 10 Panel Urine Drug Test Cup Cases of 25 Tests
- 10 Panel Oral Fluid (Saliva) Drug Tests Cases of 25 Tests
- And all these options offer a selection of economy sizes to suit your needs and budget
- And each category of testing kit can be administered by: a competent member of staff (who has learned how to administer them via the instructions and practicing on a couple of people), or a visiting medic
-
Providing a robust incentive for employees (who have a history of dealing with heavy substance abuse), to take remedial action (through a government support program etc.), so that they do not fall of the wagon and test positive, thereby putting their job at risk
-
Providing motivation for employees who occasionally partake in overindulgence in drugs and alcohol, to avoid a higher level of drug and alcohol abuse
-
Stopping members of staff who have always behaved moderately, from developing alcohol and drug addiction due to a relationship with a friend/s, or even family members, who are addicted, and like to share their habits
Employment Contracts & Periodic Drug & Alcohol Testing
Generally speaking, the workforce of companies, organisations and institutions, which conduct periodic testing, have agreed to workplace drug and alcohol testing, in their contract of employment. And while it has to be noted that staff who abuse drugs or alcohol, can modify their use in order to achieve a negative test reading; for the most part, this periodic testing procedure is regarded as acceptable due to the fact that when compared to random drug and alcohol testing, periodic testing is less intrusive, and involves the entire workforce. Furthermore, any member of staff who has agreed to take part in periodic drug testing in their employment contract, yet later down the line, refused to be tested, should be subject to the consequences as stated in the company’s drug and alcohol policy. This should include being dismissed. Note: our vast experience at Drug Testing Kits UK, has shown us that random drug testing is essential to rule out any employee who has successfully evaded having a positive result at a periodic drug and alcohol testing day. Therefore, conducting both periodic and random drug testing, is the smart option for all employers.
UK Law & Drug Testing
The UK government states that: "Employers have to have consent if they want to test for drugs. Usually this is when they have a full contractual health and safety policy, which should be in the contract or staff handbook. Workers can’t be made to take a drugs test but if they refuse when the employer has good grounds for testing, they may face disciplinary action" [1].
Flexibility of Periodic Professional Drug & Alcohol Testing
As our professional team of advisors here at Drug Testing Kits UK, advise: there are no hard & fast rules with regard to the frequency of a periodic drug & alcohol test, so to that end, you can conduct it at a frequency which is best suited to your organisation.
Periodic testing can be voluntary, contractual or mandated, inline with the company's/organisation's regulations, although staff working in safety-sensitive jobs, are usually mandated to undergo the test. Based on research, Drug Testing Kits UK, recommend that employers incorporate mandatory periodic drug testing in employee's contracts
Did You Know That Periodic Drug Testing Reduces Expenses & Boosts Productivity?
If you have looked in to the research on this subject, you will be mindful of the massive financial benefits of conducting this form of drug and alcohol testing. - So it will come as no surprise that more and more companies of all sizes and industries, are adopting it into their work policies and procedures.
"Lost productivity due to alcohol use costs the UK economy more than £7 billion each year. And most alcohol-related workplace incidents are not caused by very heavy drinkers, but by more moderate drinkers. As little as one small drink of alcohol can impair concentration and affect reaction times, but most people are unaware of the number of units they consume or how long alcohol remains in the body" [2]
Moreover, according to the Office For National Statistics, in England and Wales, around: 1 in 11 adults aged 16 to 59 years (approximately 3 million adults) and around 1 in 5 adults aged 16 to 24 years ( approximately 1.1 million adults) reported [illegal] drug use in the year ending June 2022 [3].
References
[1]. Gov.UK. "Drug Testing."
https://www.gov.uk/monitoring-work-workers-rights/drug-testing
[2]. Alcohol Change (2023). "Alcohol in the Workplace."
https://alcoholchange.org.uk/alcohol-facts/fact-sheets/alcohol-in-the-workplace
[3]. Office National Statistics (2023). "Drug Misuse in England and Wales: year ending June 2022."
