Are you carrying out effective drug screening within your organisation?
An official report has been published by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), advising that there are substantially more drug drivers on our roads than drink drivers.
The report presents the findings from a nationwide crackdown on drink and drug driving known as Operation Limit, which saw all 43 UK police forces increase efforts to catch offenders from November 2022 through to January 2023.
It was the largest ever coordinated campaign of its kind and saw an 18 per cent rise in arrests with 6,130 drivers caught compared with 5,186 during the same period in 2021. The NPCC reports that drug driving has overtaken drink driving, with findings showing an average of 80 motorists per day are caught unfit to drive through drugs.
Operators of commercial vehicles, company cars, vans, HGV’s and coaches are particularly at risk because in some parts of the UK, over half of those caught drug driving are driving to work or for work!
Drug screening – your driving for work policy
Do you have the right driving for work policies, procedures and protections in place?
6 things to check when implementing a drug screening solution in your business:
Efficiency – Ensure the drug screening device provides quick, efficient, and reliable results. Look for a device that produces a result in around five minutes, as this will help you avoid a lengthy and potentially costly process.
Portability – Ideally, your drug screening solution should be portable, as this allows practical screening both on or off site, at short notice or at the roadside, without the restrictions of a reader. This will also ensure flexibility for your organisation when carrying out pre-employment screening, random screening, and post-incident investigations.
Dignity – Preserving the dignity of your employees is important when it comes to choosing a drug screening device. You should look for a solution that is able to obtain a sample quickly and is both non-invasive and non-intrusive.
Reliability – It is imperative that your chosen drug screening device obtains a sample from areas of the body which have reduced risk of contamination, in comparison to areas such as the hands, which have more risk of coming into contact with traces of substances.
Credibility – Consider looking for an organisation which has Home Office Type Approval for drug testing to guarantee credibility.
Capability – Ensure your chosen drug screening device is able to accurately screen for the UK’s five most prevalent drugs – these are; Cannabis, Cocaine, Amphetamines, Meth Amphetamines and Opiates.
Information courtesy of DfBB