These days, alcohol testing is generally accepted as an essential safety and wellness workplace program across numerous sectors, especially in high-risk industries such as construction and manufacturing businesses where safety is of utmost importance.
However, if you haven’t ever implemented an alcohol testing program for your business, it may be daunting to know where to begin. This article shares six strategies and best practices to help you get started.
- Create A Comprehensive Written Policy
The most effective alcohol testing programs have clear and comprehensive written policies and rules. It should outline everything, including prohibited conduct and consequences for those who violate the policy, to ensure that your employees know what is expected of them.
Your alcohol testing policy should be concise, clear, and accessible to all employees. It should also conform to your state law to ensure compliance. In addition, a form acknowledging the receipt of this policy should also be signed by your employees upon hiring and whenever changes are made.
- Appoint A Program Manager
Regardless of how well-written your alcohol policy is, your employees will still have questions. And the right program manager can help answer these questions.
The right program manager will depend on your business and/or industry. In general, someone from the HR department is appointed to this position. But if your company is large, then you may need to appoint more than one manager to properly handle all your employees and oversee the implementation of this program.
- Choose The Right Test
There are several tests available today–from simple breath tests to comprehensive blood alcohol testing. That said, testing can be costly, so you’d want to choose a test that suits your needs and maximize your cost value.
The most common type of alcohol testing methods is urine and blood. However, if you want extreme accuracy, then a hair test may be a more reliable option offering the longest window of alcohol detection.
Take note, however, that each type of testing method has its own pros and cons. So, make sure to do your homework and find out the best option for your business.
- Work With Reputable Partners
As with choosing the right testing methods, vendor selection is equally important. Since they will be responsible for processing specimens and test results, you want a company with enough experience and the necessary equipment to ensure the efficient delivery of results.
Whether you’re thinking of working with a national third-party administrator or want to work with a local collection site and laboratory, you need to make sure that you vet the company you’ll be working with. They should have enough experience in handling businesses like yours and have a solid understanding of legal requirements in your industry and what you want to achieve.
- Test Regularly At The Right Times
Workplace alcohol testing is never a one-time thing. It should be conducted regularly and at the right times.
Over the years, pre-employment alcohol and drug testing have been common. However, without frequent testing at the right times, your pre-employment test could fall short. For instance, an employee may abstain from alcohol use only to pass the test and may revert to drinking after the hiring process.
As such, you’d also want to conduct random testing to help prevent alcohol abuse at the workplace. Just make sure to do this in an unbiased and neutral manner. This means that anyone in your company can be chosen for alcohol testing via a randomized system, regardless of the person and their position. This ensures a more transparent and fair alcohol testing program.
Aside from pre-employment and random testing, testing an employee after a work hiatus can also help ensure they’re not under any kind of alcohol influence.
- Provide Help
When an employee’s alcohol test result returns positive, having a structured plan for addressing the problem can be helpful. Hence, you’d want to create and offer an employee assistance program that can help employees with their issues.
This may include referrals to the right healthcare professionals or an alcohol rehabilitation center to guide them through a safe and effective alcohol detox, followed by targeted counseling to help them to stop drinking.
This approach can help encourage your staff to take the right step towards change. Moreover, employees are more likely to undergo rehabilitation and treatment if it’s initiated by their employer.
Takeaway
An effective alcohol testing program can ensure that your workplace remains safe and productive. Whether you’re creating a workplace alcohol testing program from scratch or want to optimize your existing policy and processes, implementing the above tips can help ensure an effective, transparent and successful alcohol testing program.
