FAQs
Please note: The following questions and answers have been selected from verbal & written questions asked through our Alcohol & Drug awareness programmes.
Q. Why do we need an Alcohol and other Drugs policy?
A. The Company has a Duty of care to anticipate and address any potential threats to health and safety on its sites. The abuse of alcohol and other drugs can lead to a situation where individuals are unfit for work and thereby endanger their own and other peoples’ health and safety.
Q. What happens to people who leak confidential information about people in relation to the Alcohol and other Drugs standard?
A. All information will be safeguarded according to the requirements for confidential human resource and medical information and will only be provided in situations where the company is required by law to give out information, without the consent of the individual concerned. Any disclosure of confidential information outside of this would contravene the policy and appropriate disciplinary action would be taken.
Q. Is the 4 weeks transition time between our workshops and the start of screening long enough for people to self-test themselves and manage any Alcohol & Drug use?
A. Yes, in our experience 4 weeks is an appropriate amount of time.
Q. Why not do random screening at the end of the shift as well as the beginning of shift to detect anyone indulging during shift?
A. Random screening may be conducted at any stage.
Q. Will managers be screened as well as workers?
A. All staff, contractors and visitors may be screened at any time, which includes managers and office staff.
Q. Do the Field Collection Officers have credentials to allow them to conduct Drug & Alcohol tests?
A. Frontline Diagnostic draws their Field Collection Officers from various backgrounds including OH&S Officers, Ambulance, Registered Nurses and Paramedics. All our Senior Field Colleciton Officers are fully trained and accredited.
Q. If there is an accident late in a shift and the person can’t give a sample, do they have to stay until they do?
A. Yes.
Q. How many times will I be allowed to self-test?
A. There is no specified number of times you can self-test.
Q. Will the test results be made available to other companies if an employee applies for another position or employment?
A. No.
Q. How many days will it be before I can return to work after a positive test?
A. Your Manger will allow you to return to work as soon as you can demonstrate to their satisfaction that you have a negative reading and are fit for work.
Q. What statistics and information do you have on accidents in the workplace involving drugs?
A. The best evidence comes from road accidents. The 1997 report of the WA Parliamentary Select Committee on Road Safety reported that of the 356 drivers, motorcycle and bicycle riders killed in WA in the years 1991/92, 1993/94 and 1994/95, 62 percent had either alcohol or a performance impairing drug in their bodies at the time of death. A breakdown of the data revealed:
- 23% of those killed had alcohol in their system.
- 22% had some other drug with a potential for impairing performance.
- 17% had both alcohol and some other performance-impairing drug in their system.
- Cannabis was the predominant ‘other drug’ detected, equating to over 40% of those who had taken drugs and 16% of all drivers and riders killed.
Whilst the report doesn’t draw any conclusions as to what extent this alcohol and drug use was a contributing factor in these accidents, the statistics strongly support the connection between alcohol and drug use and the risk of accidents.
Q. Why not randomly screen everyone every 12 months?
A. The screening would not be be random, and therefore not as effective.
Q. What is the difference in terms of Fitness for Work, between a person taking illegal drugs and prescribed medication?
A. None.
Q. What if an employee has been sent back to work after recovering from a positive test and an accident/incident occurs? What is the immediate manager's responsibility.
A. If the immediate manager has followed the company's procedures as set out in the Fitness for Work and Alcohol and Other Drugs Standards then his/her judgement will be supported.
Q. Do we need a Doctors letter to confirm what medications an employee is on if a Doctor does not prescribe it?
A. Frontline Diagnostics encourages companies to request all employees to bring a Doctors letter confirming their prescribe medications. For non-prescribed over the counter drugs a Doctors letter is not required but you may be asked what medication you are taking when you undergo a test.
Q. When can someone be sent home without pay?
A. An employee will be sent home without pay if they refuse to be screened.
Q. Do the limits set out during screening apply to the measures of drugs or the impairment level?
A. The limits set out in our policy are the Australian Standard (Urine AS4308:2008, Oral Fluid AS4760:2006) limits that indicate a positive detection of that particular class of drug. They do not indicate impairment.
Q. Will all screening be undertaken by an outside provider?
A. No. There will be a limited number of company people trained to conduct tests in the case of ‘Due Cause” or ‘Post Incident.’
Q. How will contractors who have recorded a positive test be managed on return to work?
A. Contractors will be managed in the same manner as employees.
Q. Who organises and pays for screening prior to returning to work after a positive test?
A. The individual who has screened positive must prove to their immediate manager that they are fit for Work. This will require the individual to test negative prior to returning to work. The costs of providing the self-screening kits will be at the discretion of the immediate manager.
Q. If I have a positive result for alcohol and then one for drugs within 12 months, does this represent my second positive result?
A. Yes.
Q. If I test positive for both alcohol and other drugs on the same day is that seen as one positive result or two?
A. It will be deemed as one positive test. However depending on the nature of the test your manager once removed may require you to undertake counselling.
Q. If an individual prior to being screened declares he/she had a marijuana cigarette during the weekend and tests positive in the initial screening but returns a negative result from the confirmatory test, what happens?
A. The initial management procedure is to undertake a Fitness for Work assessment and follow the Alcohol and Other Drugs Policy and procedures. If the confirmatory test returns a negative result, it is a negative test.
Q. If an employee knows a colleague has an alcohol or other drug problem but they don’t notify somebody in the company, will they be disciplined?
A. Employees have accountabilities under the Alcohol and Other Drugs standards to notify appropriate people, including the individual, if they have genuine concerns that a person is under the influence of Alcohol and Other Drugs and/or involved in the unauthorised possession or consumption of Alcohol or Other Drugs in the workplace. Employees have an obligation to ensure that people affected by Alcohol and Other Drugs are not admitted to their work sites.
Q. Why not blood test?
A. Blood screening is deemed as being an invasive method.
Q. Is having Alcohol in my car in the car park a breach?
A. The Fitness for Work Policy will have been breached if the individual concerned consumes or possesses alcohol and/or illegal drugs at work.
Q. What if I have a letter from my Doctors stating that I’m taking marijuana for therapeutic reasons?
A. Marijuana is an illegal drug. It would be highly unlikely that a Doctor will prescribe an illegal drug.
Q. Will the more natural herbal drugs used by naturopaths show up in these tests?
A. If they contain the substances we are screening then they may show up in the screening.
Q. Why can’t we have a higher reading than 50 micrograms/litre for THC (marijuana), as this is a very low reading?
A. We test in accordance with the Australian Standard AS4308:2008 (Urine) or AS4760:2006 (Oral Fluid) or as updated. This states 50 micrograms/litre for cannabinoid’s/THC.
Q. How do employees know that the company is NOT screening the urine for other drugs/substances other than what has been stated?
A. We will be screening in accordance with Australian Standard AS4308:2008 or as amended and updated and will only test for the classes of drugs listed. Drugs that are used for the management of health issues such as Diabetes, Blood Pressure, and Depression cannot be detected by the screening devices used.
Q. Will the Lab tests show exact levels of drug or just positive and negative?
A. The Laboratory test will show exact levels and type of drugs detected.
Q. Will Marijuana self-screening kits be available from local pharmacies or other agencies?
A. Yes they will be available from local pharmacies and also from your safety committee.
Q. Is it legal for the company to force me to give a urine sample?
A. Alcohol and Other Drug screening is legal but it requires your consent for a sample to be taken and to provide the results to your employer.
Q. What if I refuse to cooperate with the screening?
A. In the first instance, the situation will be discussed with you and we will try to address any concerns you have. If you continue to refuse to cooperate, you will be refused entry to the workplace until you cooperate or can prove in some way that you are alcohol and/or drug free.
Q. How and where do I retest to come back to work?
A. The individual who has screened positive must prove to the satisfaction of their immediate Manager that they are Fit for Work. This will require the individual to test negative prior to returning to work. The test will be conducted in accordance with Australian Standard AS4308:2008 (Urine) or AS4760:2006 (Oral Fluid), or as amended and updated. The treatment of the costs for the tests will be at the discretion of the manager once removed. Tests may be conducted by your Doctor or if you choose the company provider, Frontline Diagnostics.
Q. If I had one joint tonight would I be fit for work tomorrow?
A. The outcome of a Fitness for Work assessment will determine if you are fit for work. However, detection of THC in a urine test will depend upon your consumption rates, quantity of THC in the joint smoked and your metabolism.
Q. What if I can’t give a sample?
A. You will be given a drink and asked to remain in the area until you can provide a sample.
Q. Can I refuse to give a sample to the Field Collection Officer or Company representative but agreed to give a sample to my Doctor or Hospital?
A. You can refuse to give sample but this will be deemed as a positive result. Your manager will discuss the situation with you and if you continue to refuse you will be stood down without payment and transported home. You will not be permitted to return to work until a discussion is held with the appropriate manager and a negative result is obtained – this may be by provision of a sample from your local Doctor or Hospital.
Q. Do you guarantee that the screening tests won’t be wrong?
A. The urine screening tests are 97% reliable. The confirmatory test determines the specific type of drug detected and the quantity in the sample. This is a forensic test that is 100% accurate but takes 48 – 72 hours to get results.
Q. Will prescription or over the counter drugs show up in the screening tests?
A. It is possible. For example on the initial test, codeine can cause a positive result for opiates (the class of drugs that includes heroin). However these results are subject to a second round of screening that will identify which specific drug is involved.
