Are employers taking a gamble with random alcohol testing?

For many organisations, workplace alcohol testing has traditionally followed an incident, reasonable suspicion or a programme of random checks. While random testing remains central to many workplace alcohol policies, its effectiveness is inevitably limited by the proportion of employees tested – often a tiny percentage of the workforce, and rarely every day.

The obstacle has seldom been a lack of willingness to test more comprehensively. Rather, the time, staffing requirements and costs involved have made daily screening impractical, particularly for larger or geographically dispersed workforces.

The limitations of random testing

The shortcomings of random testing were highlighted in a recent study involving 163 drivers.

Despite operating a random testing programme for several years, the company had recorded few positive results. However, after introducing daily screening of every driver, 15 were found to have reported for duty with alcohol present in their breath during the first four months alone. Four recorded readings above 22µg, Scotland's maximum drink-driving limit.

The findings raise an important question: how many similar instances go undetected under conventional random testing?

Even organisations testing 5% of their workforce daily leave 95% unchecked. In practice, many employers test considerably fewer than this, and rarely every day.

While random testing may provide a deterrent to some, others will be willing to take the gamble of reporting for work "the morning after", knowing the chances of being tested are highly remote.

Automation changes the equation

Developments in automated testing technology are beginning to address these challenges.

AlcoDigital's new AlcoView platform combines rapid, automated alcohol screening with centralised, cloud-based management.

Its CheckPoint device can screen up to 300 employees per hour, per device. Results are transmitted instantly to an online portal, eliminating the need for an operator to administer tests or manually record results and automatic SMS and email notifications alert designated managers to positive tests.

Testing beyond the workplace

Remote and mobile employees present another challenge, particularly where verifying the identity of the person taking a test is essential.

AlcoView addresses this through a mobile application and bluetooth-enabled breathalyser, capturing results alongside photographic evidence of the individual and using GPS to verify the time & location of the test.

Tests can be scheduled in AlcoView around working patterns or ad hoc requests pushed to the employee during the working day. Results feed into the same central portal, with alerts generated for positive results and missed tests.

Rethinking workplace alcohol policies

Historically, workplace alcohol testing programmes have been shaped as much by available resources as by risk.

Automated screening and remote monitoring are changing that calculation, making comprehensive testing achievable without proportionate increases in staffing or administration.

For safety-critical industries in particular, this raises a fundamental question about reliance on random testing.

AlcoView technology now makes daily screening practical & cost-effective. Can employers continue to hope that random testing alone is sufficient to ensure that every employee is alcohol-free, every day?