Canadian HR Reporter

F E A T U R E S 22 www.hrreporter.com B A C KG R O U N D S C R E E N I N G TESTING FOR WORKPLACE SAFETY There are six situations when drug and alcohol testing is normally performed in a workplace. Depending on the goals and requirements of an employer, different test types will be more appropriate than others, says Bill Duncan of CannAmm TO promote safety at safety- sensitive workplaces, many companies use drug and alcohol testing. This type of testing is common in many Canadian industries such as oil and gas, transportation and mining. As employers are creating or revising their workplace drug and alcohol testing policy, the variety of test types and reasons for tes ting can be confusing. To determine which tests are most appropriate for an employer, it will need to define the drugs for which it is testing. This is sometimes called the it will need to understand the circumstances under which it will be testing. There are six situations when drug and alcohol testing is normally performed. Depending on the goals and requirements of a company, different test types will be more appropriate than others. The reasons for testing are: Pre-employment testing: This involves testing employees after an employer has made an offer of employment but before the person begins working. Pre-access testing: Individual site owners may have their own site requirements for people to work at their site, such as the type of test and the substances tested for, so it is important to always clarify the test requirements with the site owner. Post-incident and post-accident testing: This is done when an incident that cannot be explained through mechanical failure occurs in the workplace. By performing drug and alcohol testing as soon as possible after the incident, a company will collect important information to use as a tool when analyzing the causes of workplace incidents. Reasonable cause: This type of test is done to eliminate the possibility of current substance use being the cause of observed behaviours that lead a supervisor to believe an employee is not fit to perform duties in a safe manner. Random drug and alcohol testing: While a contentious issue in Canada, this testing can be an effective way to deter substance misuse in the workplace. It is essential to learn how to determine when to administer a random drug test and to whom. To be effective and panel, which includes the drugs for which to be tested, their screening levels and their confirmation levels. While this may sound complicated, there are standards in place that can provide guidance. One such standard is the 2018 Canadian Model for Providing a Safe Workplace from the Construction Owners Association of Alberta and Energy Safety Canada. Having an employer policy refer to an existing standard ensures it stays up to date with best practices without having to constantly make revisions. Once an employer knows the panel, CANADIAN EMPLOYERS ON TOP OF TESTING 41% number of safety-sensitive employers that have alcohol and drug testing protocols in place 70% number of safety-sensitive employers that have a fitness-for-duty policy 91% number of these employers that list fitness for duty as a main motivator for testing 40% number of safety-sensitive employers that have a zero-tolerance policy truly random, the use of a computer- generated program is essential to guarantee random selection. Return-to-work and unannounced followup testing: This testing is implemented after a substance abuse expert (SAE) or substance abuse professional (SAP) has determined that an employee has a substance use disorder. Once the employee has followed the recommendations of either an SAE or SAP and returned to work, followup testing may be implemented as a component of the employee's return- to-duty agreement. Choosing the type of test The reasons for these tests will have different needs in terms of speed and accuracy. Selecting the appropriate test type will come down to what and how. This means testing urine versus testing oral fluid and using a lab versus an express kit. The urine-versus-oral-fluid discussion has certainly picked up attention in recent years. Oral fluid testing is relatively new when compared to urine- Source: Conference Board of Canada

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