Once your policy has been written it needs to be effectively communicated to your workforce so that everybody has a clear understanding of the rules and employees are empowered to maintain a safe working environment.
Under Health & Safety at Work legislation everyone has a responsibility to be fit for work. Although drug and alcohol use might be considered a personal responsibility, an employee’s behaviour might harm other colleagues, or even the public. Therefore, if somebody has concerns about another colleague’s ability to do their work, they need to know how they can take action.
Our dedicated Training Department will work with you to create a bespoke training package that suits your requirements. Courses include practical tasks and quizzes to assess the competence of delegates, checking that the key points of the training are understood.
Manager Awareness Training
It is vital that managers and supervisors understand their responsibilities regarding your drug and alcohol policy. We ensure that managers know how to recognise the signs and symptoms of drug and/or alcohol use. We also explain what action they should take in accordance with your policy including;
- When and how testing can be initiated
- How to handle situations where drug and/or alcohol use is suspected
- Which drugs we will be testing for
- What to do when you receive a test result
- Your disciplinary procedures
- Where and how to get further assistance
- We recommend that on-going refresher training is delivered at least every 2 years and that you run a course every year to capture new starters.
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Specimen Collection Training
If you choose to collect your own samples rather than using one of our Collecting Officers, then comprehensive training in sample collection and chain of custody protocols is essential to ensure the robustness of your testing.
Delegates will be trained so they are confident and competent in sample collection. Upon successful completion of a theory and practical assessment each delegate is issued with a certificate of competency. This ensures that all of your Collecting Officers can evidence appropriate training, and that you can feel assured your drug and alcohol testing programme is carried out smoothly and efficiently, with no concerns for the competency of the Collecting Officer.
- Information on drug and alcohol metabolism
- Screening and confirmation testing
- Importance of Chain of Custody protocols
- Result interpretation
- Pre-collection preparation
- Sample collection
- Troubleshooting
- Theory and practical assessment
To ensure the continued competency of all your Collection Officers, we recommend they attend a training course at least every two years.
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Medical Review Officer Workshops
Our Medical Review Officer (MRO) Workshop provides delegates with the training they need to understand all aspects of the drug testing process, as well as an understanding of how the MRO role fits within a drug testing policy and programme.
The MRO fulfils an important role within workplace drug testing. In assessing whether there is a legitimate reason for a positive drug testing result, they must have a good understanding of all parts of the drug testing process as well as issues related to drug use and abuse.
You will be awarded 5 CPD points on completion of the MRO Workshop, approved by the Faculty of Occupational Medicine.
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Results Recipient Training
Taking inappropriate action following a drug and alcohol test result can lead to Employment or Industrial Tribunals, payment of compensation, lost time defending claims of unfair dismissal, legal fees, and bad publicity.
Our Training seeks to educate attendees to take the correct action and avoid unnecessary disputes. Delegates will leave with a clear understanding of what test results mean and will have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have. By learning how to identify which employees represent risk they will be able to prioritise return to work more speedily and be confident on how to take appropriate action including disciplinary proceedings.
Our Results Recipient Training covers many elements including an outline of the testing processes and the interpretation of results and will answer the following questions:
- What is the difference between screening and confirmation testing?
- What happens if someone is taking medication?
- Is a positive result always considered a fail?
- Do negative results always mean no further action is required?
- Why might the laboratory reject a sample?
- What are considered breaks in Chain of Custody?
- How do I take appropriate action?
- What examples can we learn from?
- How do I discuss the result with the donor – having positive conversations?
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