Workers under the influence of drugs or alcohol can be a major hazard, both to themselves and to your whole workforce. At JTA Health Safety & Noise Specialists, we have over 30 years of experience providing tailored, independent OHS advice. We have seen, again and again, the value of including workplace drug and alcohol testing in regular OHS practices. Keep reading to learn more about substance testing in the workplace and how we can help keep your workforce safe.

Importance of a Drug and Alcohol Policy in the Workplace

It’s obvious that no worker should be under the influence of drugs or alcohol while they’re working. This is especially true and important in workplaces that use heavy machinery and vehicles or rely on judgement. In these settings, impairment can result in injuries (or worse) to your staff - both those under the influence and their colleagues. Drug and alcohol testing in the workplace can help ensure the safety of your staff on the job.

Drug & alcohol testing in the workplace is surrounded by significant requirements and legislation that dictates when to test, what to test for, and the testing equipment used.

Testing may be done as part of the recruitment process, after a serious safety incident, or as random testing in some workplaces. Our testing services include on-site urine or saliva drug testing, and breath testing for alcohol. All samples make use of NATA-accredited laboratories, which return quick, reliable and confidential results, and which are also legally recognised in cases where samples are part of any legal proceedings.

What are Australia’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Standards

Our testing services comply with Australian Standards and guidelines.

This includes:

• urinary drug screening to Australian Standards AS/NZS 4308:2008
• oral fluid drug screening to Australian Standards AS/NZS 4760:2006
• alcohol testing in the workplace
• lab-certified confirmatory testing using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) in cases of non-negative instant results
• the collection, labelling and transport of samples carried out to strict 'Chain of Custody' protocols for NATA Guidelines AS/NZS 4308:2008

Get in Touch

To learn more about workplace drug and alcohol testing, give us a call today on 1300 856 282, or make an enquiry online and one of our experts will get back to you.