New best practice guide on managing drink and drug misuse in the workplace
RoSPA has partnered with Dräger to produce a new guide designed to help organisations address the safety risks associated with drink and drug misuse in the workplace and when employees are driving for work. RoSPA’s Road Safety Manager, Caitlin Taylor, and Dräger drug and alcohol testing expert Mark Burrup, explain how the guidance can help.
A Best Practice Guide for Managing Drink and Drug Misuse in the Workplace and when Driving for Work comes at a crucial time, as evidence shows that substance misuse remains a widespread and serious threat to employee wellbeing, operational safety and organisational performance.
What’s the scale of the problem?
Recent estimates suggest that up to three million workers - around three per cent of the UK workforce - attend work under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The consequences reach far beyond individual impairment: they include billions of pounds in lost productivity and workdays, increased absenteeism, and a substantial rise in the risk of accidents. The human cost is even higher. Impairment significantly affects judgement, slows reaction times and reduces hazard perception, making everyday tasks more dangerous and safety-critical roles particularly vulnerable.
The “morning after” effect is an often-overlooked factor. Employees may arrive at work or begin a work-related journey unaware that alcohol or drugs consumed the night before are still affecting them. As drug-driving deaths rise and enforcement efforts expand, it is increasingly clear that impairment is not a hypothetical risk but a daily reality that organisations must manage proactively.
Substance misuse is also more common among the general population than many realise. One in ten adults report using controlled drugs in the past year, fifteen per cent drink at levels considered high risk, and around two per cent show signs of dependency. This means that in almost every workforce, some employees may be affected, although the issue may not be visible.
Alongside alcohol and illegal drugs, the side effects of widely prescribed medications must also be considered. Antidepressants and other treatments for mental health conditions, while beneficial, can cause dizziness, fatigue, blurred vision, and reduced concentration, potentially compromising safety in roles involving driving, machinery, or hazardous substances.
The economic cost to business is substantial. In Scotland alone, illicit drug use is estimated to cost employers more than £800 million annually, and more broadly across the UK, alcohol-related productivity losses exceed £7 billion, not including reputational damage, legal liabilities, or the emotional and financial repercussions of serious incidents.
The effects are clearly particularly dangerous in safety-critical roles - such as those involving the operation of heavy machinery or driving vehicles, whether a car, forklift truck or heavy goods vehicle - where any lack in concentration may impact not only the operator themselves but also other work colleagues and potentially members of the public.
In the case of driving for work, the heightened risk is evident by the sharp rise in drug-driving convictions since roadside testing was introduced, with more than 12,000 convictions in 2019 and almost half involving repeat offenders. Drugs are thought to contribute to around 200 deaths on UK roads each year, and when combined with fatigue, early starts, or long shifts, even small quantities of alcohol or drugs can significantly impair driving ability. These consequences affect not only drivers but passengers, colleagues, and other road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.
Best practice
RoSPA and Dräger’s Best Practice Guide provides organisations with the tools they need to act decisively. Clear policies, supportive interventions, employee education and proportionate testing programmes all play a vital role. By taking a proactive, evidence-based approach, employers can better protect their workforce, fulfil their legal obligations and broader duty of care, and help prevent avoidable harm.
This approach is increasingly recognised by employers, and a growing number of companies are taking proactive steps when it comes to alcohol, drugs and prescription medications, with many establishing formal policies and introducing substance impairment testing programmes.
However, it is interesting to note that a proactive approach to drug and alcohol testing is not only being driven by employers but also increasingly by the expectations of employees themselves. Research undertaken as part of the Dräger Safety and Health at Work (DSHAW) Report 2022 found that 83 per cent of workers would comply with a corporate drug and alcohol testing programme as they believe it is in everyone’s interest to be safe at work.
This is set in the context that 78 per cent of managers surveyed said that their organisation had concerns about workplace impairment (and resulting injuries/accidents) due to alcohol, drugs and prescribed medications such as antidepressants.
These findings are reinforced by further research for the 2023 DSHAW report, which showed that almost three-quarters (71 per cent) of workers support all employees in their organisation being tested for drugs and alcohol as part of a wider safety at work initiative. This figure increases yet further in what many might consider higher-risk workplaces, such as the oil and gas and renewables industries, where over 80 per cent of workers were in favour.
A well-thought-out drug and alcohol policy is especially important where safety-critical tasks, as defined by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), or workplace driving are involved. A good policy will explain the risks and outline the strategy and controls adopted by the organisation to prevent – and where necessary manage – substance misuse among staff, while also being fair, transparent and consistent.
Key considerations for developing and implementing a workplace drug and alcohol policy should include:
- Creating and communicating a clear policy
- Conducting risk assessments to identify safety-critical roles
- Implementing fair testing procedures, complete with employee consent and confidentiality
- Providing support and resources for employees with substance misuse issues
- Training managers to address misuse effectively.
This comprehensive approach will help ensure a safe working environment by managing the risk of substance misuse as well as ensuring compliance with health and safety, data protection and equality legislation.
A strong policy should support employee health and wellbeing (and promote a culture of personal responsibility in relation to substance use and misuse), as well as reduce the risk of the organisation being subject to litigation or adverse publicity and the associated financial losses in the event of incidents caused or connected to substance misuse by employees. The policy should also align with – and complement – the organisation’s overall approach to the management of health and safety at work and should be deployed in a non-punitive way.
Testing
Effective management of drug and alcohol misuse in the workplace can include screening and testing, and the circumstances for testing and different methods available are detailed in the Best Practice Guide.
Many companies are introducing in-house screening and testing for alcohol and drugs, using simple non-invasive devices that are quick, discreet and easy to use. Breathalysers capable of analysing a person’s breath alcohol content are commonly used as part of screening programmes, and innovations such as the greater use of digital and connected technologies and data management software make both printing and the management of test results and data much simpler.
Also, as the requirement for portable and discreet drug testing methods has risen, there has been an increase in demand for saliva-based drug screening kits. These can be used to test for a combination of drugs – including opiates, amphetamines, methamphetamine, cocaine, benzodiazepines and THC (cannabis) – and give a fast, reliable indication of recent drug use. Saliva-based test kits provide rapid results, allowing a manager to take immediate action to protect workplace safety – for example, by suspending the employee from work, pending further investigation and testing.
To help combat the risks of driving under the influence of alcohol, the adoption of interlock devices in corporate vehicles provides an effective solution. Such devices require the driver to undertake an alcohol breath test, which, if failed, prevents the engine from being started. This not only safeguards against employees driving corporate vehicles while under the influence, but also supports alcohol reoffender programmes, if company drivers have been convicted of drink driving.
Alcohol interlock devices are becoming increasingly prevalent since the staged introduction of Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 began in July 2022. This regulation focuses on the general safety and the protection of vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users and requires new vehicles to be equipped with alcohol interlock ports, making installation into newer vehicles much easier.
There has been a steadily growing interest in this technology, which, as well as being used in road vehicles such as cars, school buses and HGVs, can be installed in vehicles such as forklift trucks, cranes and other safety-critical machinery.
If you would like further information on managing drug and alcohol misuse in the workplace, our best practice guide provides outlines practical steps for organisations to manage impairment risks, improve safety and meet legal obligations, and provides a step-by-step framework for developing workplace policies and introducing and conducting fair and confidential impairment testing programmes.
The free guide is available for download here.