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Frequently asked questions

General questions about drug and alcohol policies and how to implement one

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Practical questions about screening facilities and collection

See all questions

General questions about drug and alcohol policies and how to implement one

Why are so many organisations setting up drug and alcohol procedures? Hide

Drug and alcohol procedures are being set up to:

comply with government legislation, including the Transport and Works Act 1992, the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974
ensure the safety of other staff and members of the public avoid injury or damage to property
minimise the expense of recruiting and training replacements for employees with drug or alcohol problems
reduce absenteeism, accidents, theft and lost productivity
help qualify for lower insurance premiums
demonstrate that you care for your employees’ welfare, and have chosen to work with a recognised professional organisation.

Why choose Bupa? Hide

Bupa has extensive experience in helping organisations to develop manageable and realistic drug and alcohol policies. Many people with dependency problems have complex psychological and social issues as well as physical problems. Successful treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach with the shared aim of restoring the individual to full function in work and beyond. We believe in a three-tiered approach to tackling the problem within the workplace: policy development and employee education, support and rehabilitation for those with problems, screening as a deterrent.

Bupa is in a position to offer the individual a confidential assessment of the problem, while providing the employer with advice on fitness for work and the individual’s motivation, engagement and progress with the treatment plan. Working with the individual’s GP/NHS/voluntary agencies we can recognise treatment needs and ensure appropriate treatment is available at the most opportune time. When the individual is fit to rehabilitate to work, our aim is to make the multidisciplinary approach a reality and ensure all those involved are aware of the plan for the restoration of work ability and employment retention.

I'm not sure which services I need, can Bupa help? Hide

Bupa can help you arrange the level of screening that’s exactly right for your business. You may need all three kinds of testing, or just one or two. You may prefer regular visits, or perhaps you’ll need access to a 24-hour emergency call-out option. We’ll listen thoughtfully to your reasons for installing a screening process, and respect your budgetary, cultural and recruitment requirements. As your trusted adviser we will then give you honest, informed advice, and arrange the protection your company needs. Together, we’ll create a unique package to help protect your company, your workforce and your customers.

How do I set up an account? Hide

Call Bupa on 0845 600 3476* or email us.

Describe which screening services you are interested in.
You will be asked about your company, ie name, address, contact numbers, size of business, nature of business, reasons for screening.
You will be asked to send a copy of your drug and alcohol policy if you have one. Alternatively, our policy development team can assist with this. We are unable to provide screening services unless you have a policy for dealing with the results.
Once the drug and alcohol policy is approved against minimum criteria, we will send you an agreement, along with terms and conditions for signing.

I'm planning to implement a drug and alcohol policy. What steps do I need to take? Hide

Establish a drug and alcohol policy

Provide information to staff at induction on:

the effects of drugs and alcohol on performance
factors that lead to dependency on drugs or alcohol
information that can prevent them from inadvertently breaching the drugs and alcohol policy

Ensure the supervisors/managers:

understand their responsibilities under the policy
are able to recognise impaired workplace performance or behaviour that is likely to be caused by the misuse of substances
understand the process for identifying the effects of medication that could affect safety
are able to encourage employees to ask for advice and help in respect of problems arising

What are the key criteria that need to be included in a drug and alcohol policy? Hide

Screening must be performed according to ethical principles and be legally defensible. We will not provide screening services unless the employer has a policy for dealing with the results.

Below are the recommended areas to consider when developing a policy. To satisfy our professional obligations we insist that, as a minimum, a policy includes:

purpose
definitions, ie who is covered by the policy
policy
objective
responsibility of employees and contractors
information that constitutes misuse of drug and alcohol
restrictions and prohibitions on the consumption of alcohol, including what the alcohol cut-off rate is
what drugs will be tested for
discipline arrangements
rehabilitation - information on help and support available to those with problems
screening programme - circumstances under which drug and alcohol tests will take place
arrangements for screening (‘for cause’, pre-employment, random etc)
reporting arrangements for the use of prescribed and/or over-the-counter medication
information to employees - on rights of appeal and confidentiality
monitoring of the policy
whether the policy covers the action that will be taken in the event of a positive result

What should I do during the policy consultation period? Hide

You’ll need to:

update employee contracts with a signed receipt of acceptance
offer an amnesty period for staff to come forward for help/assistance

How should I launch the policy internally? Hide

We suggest that you give employees access to a policy document and that you launch the policy via different media, including:

employee briefing packs
employee briefing sessions
posters
putting information on your intranet

Questions about screening

Does the policy need to include all types of screening? Hide

No, each company has different needs. You may decide that you only want to screen for specific circumstances, ie for cause.

What substances should I test for? Hide

Bupa has a standard panel of substances which it recommends in line with the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This panel is also approved by Network Rail for those clients needing to comply with Railway Group Standards.

The substances are amphetamines (including ecstasy), barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, opiates, methadone and propoxyphene.

The current drug cut-offs offered by Bupa have been chosen to satisfy current best practice in the industry and are based on the relevant national, European and worldwide guidelines and recommendations.

If a company requests for any other substances instead of the above, we would explore with them the justification for them needing this test, based on their industry and get advice from our toxicologists.

Our toxicologists will first need to confirm that there is such a test available, then evaluate any additional costs or specific handling issues.

What testing methodologies do you use? Hide

The standard screening medium involves collecting urine. This has the advantage of being a traditional collection technique but can be inconvenient to obtain

Hair testing is another possibility but is mostly used in forensic settings.
We are able to offer a range of sampling methods and are happy to advise our customers in detail on the relative merits of the different media.

We constantly review the way we test samples to ensure we keep up-to-date with new technologies. At the moment, laboratory based urine testing provides the most accurate and reliable results for commonly used illegal drugs.

How do you measure alcohol? Hide

We use breathalysers that provide an accurate snapshot in time. The machine displays the decimal figure measurement and prints a statement to that effect with a time and date stamp.

What alcohol cut off should I have? Hide

The current legal limit from the Road Traffic Act is 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood.

Employers may want to be more stringent than this, especially in a safety critical environment.

Are there any limitations with drug and alcohol testing? Hide

As a leading UK provider of private drug and alcohol screening throughout the UK, we offer a highly flexible range of services to meet your organisation’s recruitment, random testing or incident-related needs.

However, it is important to note that screening will only identify recent drug use. It cannot confirm intoxication, addiction or fitness for work.

Can an individual appeal against the results of their drug or alcohol test? Hide

Yes. An information pack is sent to the donor explaining that their ‘B’ sample has remained intact at our laboratory and can be independently tested at a lab or their choosing, according to a procedure that ensures the sample’s integrity is maintained. The letter contains contact details for the Bupa drug and alcohol manager.

Are the results legally defensible? Hide

Yes. Our findings are completely independent and unbiased and they are acceptable to the police and in court.

Ultimately, a drug screening result may be challenged in the courts. In this respect, three features of our screening service are important.

Chain of custody. Sample collection, analysis and reporting is performed under a carefully designed procedure to ensure that a sample is fully traceable back to the donor and could not have been tampered with en-route to the laboratory
Analysis is performed using internationally agreed methods in a reputable laboratory holding UKAS accreditation for drug screening analysis and participating in an external quality assurance scheme.
Medical review of results: all positive laboratory findings are scrutinised by a doctor with specific training in this field. This is to ensure that an individual with a legitimate medical need for a substance is not wrongly categorised as a drug abuser. This may involve the doctor interviewing the donor. Bupa includes this service for all results though some providers may make an additional charge.

Practical questions about screening facilities and collection

What facilities are required for screening? Hide

The collection officer will require (if possible) access to a room with an electric socket, two chairs and a desk. There should be no access to this room by any other party once the procedure has started.

For urine screening, there should be a toilet close by (this will be sealed off temporarily while the donor is producing a sample) with access to hand-washing facilities.

Can you test at a hospital? Hide

If a donor has been taken to a hospital, or is being attended to by a doctor, the collection officer can attend the hospital, but they must be accompanied by a management representative who will liaise with hospital personnel. Under no circumstances will testing be carried out without the consent of the medical practitioner in charge of the patient.

Does a manager or witness need to be present? Hide

When screening on your site, we ask that the authorised representative is available to answer any questions from the donor regarding the reason to test, to deal with any behavioural issues, or in the event of a positive breath test.

How long will the screening take? Hide

An average appointment takes between 20-30 minutes for urine sample collection and breath test. These timings could increase if the donor is unable to provide a sample straight away, and if the toilet facilities are located a long way from the confidential work area at your site.

What do I do following an incident, or if I think someone may be under the influence of drink or drugs? Hide

You will be given a 24-hour freephone number to initiate a "for cause" call-out.

The operator will ask you to provide the following details:

the name of your business
your name and designation
a telephone number where you can be contacted
the telephone number and name of the contact on-site
the full address and postcode of the site to which you wish the collection officer to report

Once you have provided the above information you will be issued with a case reference number.

How does the process for 'for cause' testing work? Hide

A Bupa collection officer will attend the workplace to collect a sample and perform a breath test. A client representative will accompany the donor.

Our network of collection officers covers the whole UK mainland. We operate a 24-hour call-out service and someone will usually be at your site within just two hours.

How much notice do I need to give for an on-site booking which isn't 'for cause'? Hide

We would prefer a minimum of two working days notice.

What happens if a donor refuses? Hide

A nominated authorised representative from your company will be informed and the donor will be asked to sign a declaration of refusal. You should then follow the guidelines from your policy on any further action to take in this event.

How soon are the results of drug and alcohol tests available? Hide

Negative results are available the next working day, excluding weekends and bank holidays. Samples requiring further analysis may take a further seven working days.

All positive laboratory findings are scrutinised by a doctor with specific training in this field. This is to ensure that an individual with legitimate medical need for a substance is not wrongly categorised as a drug abuser. This may involve the doctor interviewing the donor. Bupa includes this service for all results, though some providers may make an additional charge.

How will drug and alcohol results be communicated to me? Hide

Negative results will be issued in writing the next working day.

Positive results will be phoned through to the nominated authorised contact, followed by a written report. The donor will also receive a written report to their home address at the same time as the employer.

Employee questions

Does the introduction of a drug and alcohol policy mean there is a substance abuse problem in my company? Hide

There may be several reasons to introduce a policy. The main reason chosen by employers are for health and safety purposes, to maintain a safe place of work that’s free from the effects of drugs or alcohol. Having a policy provides a framework that is fair and consistent for the employee in the way that screening and results are handled.

Why am I being asked to undergo a test? Hide

Screening should only occur in line with your policy and the reasons set out within it. Common intervals for screening may be for pre-employment (to the company or a role), randomly selected, post-incident or suspicion/behaviour.

What does the test involve? Hide

The collection of samples for drug and/or alcohol analysis follows strict Chain of Custody procedures.

A breathalyser test is used for alcohol determination using a handheld device. It’s a very quick and simple test and provides a snapshot in time of alcohol in someone’s system. The device prints a statement recording the measurement found, date/time and the serial numbers of the machine used.

What happens if my test is positive? Hide

All positive laboratory findings are scrutinised by a doctor with specific training in this field. This is to ensure that an individual with a legitimate medical need for a substance is not wrongly categorised as a drug abuser. This may involve the doctor interviewing the donor. When we have undertaken this medical review of the result, the result will be sent only to the authorised person in your company to receive results. Action taken on receipt of this result will be in line with your company's policy.

What happens if my test is negative? Hide

Negative results are provided to the nominated authorised person in your company/prospective company to receive results. These are reported the next working day.

Depending on the reason why you were asked to take the test, this will either mean that normal duties continue, or if it was for recruitment purposes a position in the company may be secured.

Statement of confidentiality Hide

This is a confidential process and all details taken at the interview with the donor at the time of sample collection remain confidential for the purpose of confirming the result and fitness for work.

Results are only given to the nominated authorised personnel within the company.

Where can I get advice? Hide