Drug testing in the construction industry
Construction sites are in their nature busy, involve the use of large and powerful machinery, and often involve working at height. Add in multiple contractors on a large project, sub-contractors and deliveries, and the health and safety requirements are complex. Not an environment in which any of the employees should be allowed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Which drugs should we test for in a construction industry drug test?
Let's clarify the drugs issue beyond illegal drugs of abuse, must also include the use of prescription medication which results potentially in sedation and of course alcohol. This includes strong pain killers, anxiolytic sedatives and sleeping pills and some of the older anti-depressants.
Given all of the above it is not surprising that the recommendations for drug screening construction employees, are a broader and more extensive combination drug test kit.
Urine drug testing or saliva drug testing in construction industry?
Recent moves to saliva drug screening have been supported by a growing range of highly accurate saliva testing kits.
Essentially these are now supported by a matched set of confirmation laboratory drug test options through an accredited UK laboratory ( we offer pre-paid laboratory confirmation drug test packs using Matrix Laboratories)
Urine drug testing still offers longer detection windows, but the overall accuracy when measured by specificity, sensitivity and selectivity are almost identical.
See our full range of workplace drug testing kits