Drug testing at work and workers’ health

A successful corporate mission starts with a good organization and the health of the workers involved in it.

There are a number of examinations that workers undergo to prevent occupational diseases, preserve their health status, and ensure that companies know how to perform their jobs efficiently.

One of them is drug testing at work.

Drug testing at work: what is it?

Occupational drug testing is an examination that is carried out by the company occupational physician to check the psycho-physical integrity of the worker and is performed to prevent injuries during the performance of work duties.

Employers are required to assess the mental and physical condition of their employees through drug testing.

The Ministry of Health has established a list of work activities for which testing is mandatory.

Let’s look at some of them together.

Jobs with mandatory drug testing at work

All workers engaged in the following job duties, for example, are required to undergo occupational drug and alcohol testing:

-fabrication and use of fireworks;

-Drivers of vehicles for transporting people and goods;

-flight controllers;

-Commissioned tower and truck crane operators;

-workers in quarries and mines;

-physicians performing invasive procedures;

-armed forces;

And others.

Companies carrying out the activities for which the verification requirement applies must be equipped with rapid tests and information plans.

The competent doctor and drug testing at work: how it works

Occupational drug testing is carried out by the occupational physician who takes urine and saliva samples from the worker in question. He is required to visit workers once a year.

The substances to be detected for which drug testing is conducted are as follows:

– cocaine;

– heroin;

– THC cannabinoids;

– amphetamine, methamphetamine and their metabolites;

– morphine.

The competent doctor is required to send the worker to the Drug Addiction Service of the competent territorial ASL if he deems it necessary to conduct medical investigations on his psycho-physical state.

Obligations of the worker and the employer

The worker is obliged to submit to testing for alcohol and drug abuse: if he/she shirks from this obligation without a valid reason, the employer is obliged to stop him/her from performing the task for which he/she should submit to testing.

Upon determination of drug-free status, the employee will be allowed to return to his or her job.

In cases where the worker has suspicions of alcohol abuse or toxic alcohol dependence , other investigative examinations (such as hair tests) and rapid random tests may be pursued.

For all those who will not be able to take the spot test, urinary testing will be performed.

If the worker tests positive for drugs, he or she will have to give up his or her shift; if he or she tests positive on a breathalyzer above 0.3 g/l, he or she will not be allowed to perform his or her job until he or she reaches a blood alcohol level of 0 g/l.

Refusal by the employee to submit to drug testing at work could result in a fine, dismissal and imprisonment of up to 15 days.

The employer is also subject to fines: he is obliged to make the drug-tested employee stop performing his job, and if he fails to comply with this obligation, fines and arrest from 2 to 4 months are provided.

Synergos can perform the Diagnostic Test to verify the absence of alcohol intake or alcohol dependence in order to prevent accidents in the workplace as well as Toxicological testing to ascertain the absence of drug or psychotropic dependence on working subjects