Demonstrating a health and safety culture

Most of our commercial clients undertake pre-employment drug testing. It gives the impression to new starters that health and safety is taken seriously in an organisation. Furthermore, in conjunction with ongoing random drug testing, it acts as a deterrent to future employees who may not fully appreciate the effects of drugs and alcohol in the workplace.

What types of samples are used for pre-employment drug testing?

The most popular form of drug test used for this purpose is the urine point of care rapid drug screen. Also, most organisations opt for either a breath or saliva alcohol test at the same time. The main advantage is that the rapid screen results work effectively with the rest of the recruitment process. For example, as part of an induction day for new recruits. In addition, the company can choose whether they send any non-negative screen results on for laboratory confirmation testing or not. In most cases, the company will stipulate that a clean drug and alcohol result must be obtained prior to commencing employment.

For the more traditional safety critical industries, urine laboratory drug testing is the preferred method for pre-employment drug testing. This includes rail, aviation, utilities, and construction. Also, as well as being on-site as part of an induction process, candidates can be asked to book a private drug test prior to employment. We can easily cater for this with our extensive network of drug testing locations in the UK.

Finally, hair drug testing is used for more high profile and national security positions. This provides an historical picture of a candidate’s previous drug misuse prior to starting employment. We provide this service to several government departments as part of the security and vetting process.