The call comes from alcohol and drug safety specialist AlcoDigital in line with an increasing emphasis on a company’s responsibility to ensure its employees are fit for work, and the UK Government’s clamp down on drink and drug drivers.

According to the Department for Transport drugs and alcohol cost British businesses in excess of £6bn per year in lost productivity and a third of employers say alcohol and drug misuse is a problem at work. 

On top of this there is also the potential damage to a business’s reputation should they be held accountable for an employee’s wrongdoing. 

However, with the plethora of testing equipment and information on offer, it is not always easy to know where to start with implementing an effective drugs and alcohol testing policy.

Suzannah Robin, an alcohol and drug safety expert at AlcoDigital, said: “We have helped companies in many different industry sectors to implement robust alcohol and drug policies and one of the things that concerns all of them from the outset is how their employees are going to react to a new testing policy being introduced.

“Of course, there may be some reluctance from employees so companies should always communicate clearly with their staff before introducing new policies so that they can fully understand the rationale behind them and what the potential consequences of a positive test will be.”

The firm said that if implemented effectively drug and alcohol policies can help to reduce absenteeism, increase worker productivity and improve customer satisfaction.

“We have found that regular random testing of employees for drugs and alcohol has resulted in significant benefits for improving safety and safeguarding businesses from the potential fallout of lost revenue and reputational damage,” added Suzannah Robin. “However, many more companies, particularly those in the transport industry or those operating heavy machinery, need to do more to improve standards not just for the safety of their employees but to protect the general public as well.”