Richard Evers Laboratory Manager Synergy Health Laboratory Services. Do I need a Drug & Alcohol Policy? -

Transcription

1 Do I need a Drug & Alcohol Policy? Laboratory Manager Synergy Health Laboratory Services

2 Contents + Understand why drug testing is justified + Know what regulations apply + Understand the process of testing + Have confidence in the results

3 Understand Why Drug Testing is Justified

4 Drink Driving + Level of impairment linked to dose + Drink drive limit 80mg/100mL blood + Blood / Breath alcohol linked to dose + 3 Units alcohol ~ Drink drive limit + Accidents statistically linked to Drink Driving

5 Accident rate + Little firm evidence that drugs lead to accidents and absenteeism + 5 Studies associate drug use with accidents + 7 studies find little or no evidence (HSE 2002) + Prevalence of Drug use lower than alcohol + British Crime Survey + Not all accidents lead to drug tests + Hangovers also lead to accidents

6 How Common is Drug Use? + British Crime Survey Working Age Adults in England and Wales + 8.6% used drugs in the last 12 months + 3.1% used a Class A drug + 6.6% used Cannabis + Young Adults (16-24) + 20% used drugs in the last 12 months % used a Class A drug % used Cannabis

7 Incidences of Positive Tests Synergy Health Laboratory Services Figures + Includes prescribed and over the counter medications + UK Energy Industry % positive + UK Leisure Industry % positive + UK Light Industry + 4.1% positive

8 Article 8 European Convention on Human Rights Right to respect for private and family life: - 1.Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence

9 Acute Effects of Cannabis Use study of 7 professional and 3 private pilots + Flight simulator performance 30 minutes after smoking 6mg + Deviation from desired height of 2600ft + Placebo gave deviation of 680ft

10 How long do the effects of Cannabis last? study of 10 private pilots + 19mg THC (3 x 1976 dose) + How close to the runway midline can they land in a simulator?

11 Impairment due to drugs + Detection times unrelated to impairment + Cannabis in urine detected for up to 1 month + Cannabis in saliva detected for <24 hours + Urine results do NOT link to impairment + Tests show use, not impairment + Not everybody reacts the same + May Cause drowsiness + Addiction + Withdrawal

12 Article 8 European Convention on Human Rights Right to respect for private and family life: - 1. Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence 2. There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society, in the interest of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of a country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals or for the protection of the rights and freedom of others.

13 So when is testing justified? + Safety Critical Industries + Airline pilots + Train drivers + Trackside workers + Steel workers + HGV drivers + Fork Lift operators + Healthcare

14 Integrity critical + Police + Prison staff + Drug testing staff + Customs & Excise

15 Know What Regulations Apply

16 Criminal Liability + Misuse of Drugs Act Offence to allow drug use, or fail to act if drug use is known to employers + Health and Safety at Work Act Health, Safety and Wellbeing of Employees + Reasonable care to protect Health and Safety of people affected by work + Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations Assess the Health and Safety to employees and the public + Transport and Work Act Offence to work if unfit through drink and drugs + Operators liable if negligent in preventing recurrence

17 Civil Liability + Plaintiff often works for the company + Damages + No Win, No Fee Blame Culture Competent Staff + Your employer must ensure, to the best of their ability, that the people the that he employs around you are competent in their jobs and do not put others at risk by their actions. So if an employee injures another through a failure to use equipment properly, a drink or drugs problem or simply by messing around then the employer is potentially liable for those actions 08/03/2011

18 SAMHSA Guidelines + Original Regulations on which others are based + US Federal employees + Strictly defined criteria + Only covers 5 drugs + UK Laboratory Guidelines for Legally Defensible Workplace Drug Testing + Cover urine drugs only + Technology change + Cover range of drugs + European Laboratory Guidelines for Legally Defensible Workplace Drug Testing + More up to date + Saliva (draft) and Hair testing guidelines

19 Informed consent + Is the employer justified in testing? + Safety critical or integrity driven? + Staff participation essential + Consultation prior to implementation + Staff information sessions + Junior Manager / foreman buy-in + Discrimination MUST be avoided + External randomisation + For Cause guidelines defined + All staff on all shifts

20 Understand the Process of Testing

21 Reasons for Testing + For-Cause + Testing may be carried out if an accident/incident occurs and there are reasonable grounds to suspect the accident was a result of substance misuse + Pre-Employment + Employers may request prospective employees to undertake substance misuse test before employment commences + Random + Employers may wish to randomly test a selection of their workforce to discourage substance misuse

22 Methods of Testing + Urine Testing + The mainstay of drugs of abuse testing as the sample is easy to collect and analyse + The process is well controlled and is legally defensible + Retention time of drugs in urine is mostly between 2 and 4 days + Saliva Testing + Newer technology + Smaller sample size + Less invasive + Hair Testing + Very small sample size + Difficult to test + 3 month drug history + Shows Abuse levels only, not use

23 Have Confidence in the Results

24 Chain of Custody + Ensures protection of donor & company + Prevents allegations of interference + Provides legally defensible results + Follows sample through laboratory processes + Ensures the reported results come from the donor named on the form

25 Laboratory Quality + Quality Control sample with every batch + Known sample must produce results within a specified range + Validated methods + Tested for interferences, reproducibility and accuracy + Authorised, Trained and Qualified Staff + External Proficiency tests + Test whole laboratory performance + Results of unknown samples compared with other laboratories

26 ISO 17025: UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) + Independent of Laboratories + Annual assessment of quality systems + Audit of methods to ensure fit for purpose

27 Challenges + B sample challenge + B sample stored as A sample + Analysed by independent laboratory + Chain of Custody checked + Cost of challenge met by donor + Test costs around Reduces timewasting + Often leads to admission of drug use

28 Summary + Drug testing may be justified where safety or integrity are paramount + Drug testing is covered by a number of regulations, and the justification will depend on the risk + The process is designed to ensure accurate results that are traceable to the donor and to international standard materials + Quality is an integral part of the drug testing process, and laboratories spend a significant amount on maintaining quality

29 Thank you for listening Does anybody have any questions?