UK Airport: An example of drug & alcohol testing in practice

Introduction / Background: Workplace drug & alcohol testing
Workplace drug and alcohol (D&A) testing is becoming an increasing area of focus for many businesses.

Issues of concern are not only limited to illegal drug and excessive alcohol consumption, but also include prescribed drugs, which can affect people’s responsiveness, decision-making capabilities, and mental and physical fitness for work.

Furthermore, the problem is not confined to job roles that might initially be considered more obviously high risk, such as heavy machinery operators, HGV drivers or other safety-critical roles.  Take for example a member of staff driving other colleagues to a meeting; even a low chance of drug or alcohol-related impairment would put colleagues at risk.

The customer
A UK airport employing around 150 people, plus additional contractors, had brought in a drug and alcohol (D&A) testing policy in 2017, but the implementation had been problematic. The original testing programme depended on an external contractor that could be called to site to undertake D&A testing (using a urine sample) if there were to be an incident or a suspicion of someone working under the influence of either.

Should a requirement for D&A testing be needed, an urgent call was made to the contractor and it then normally would take at least an hour for the testing professionals to arrive on site to conduct the urine test, by which point it was usually too late to detect any causal link to drugs or alcohol. The service also came at a significant cost.

The search of a better solution
Dräger is a global safety technology leader and a manufacturer of safety equipment and is present in 190 countries worldwide. The company has worked extensively with the emergency services, the military, airlines, and major industrial conglomerates to provide safety solutions to organisations of all sizes. Within its broad range of safety technology products, Dräger manufactures drug and alcohol (D&A) screening devices.

Dräger’s drug screening devices test for drugs using a saliva sample. Scientific studies have proven that the saliva analysis method is highly reliable. With just one test, the devices can screen for substances from six to eight different drug categories: cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, methamphetamines/designer drugs, benzodiazepine (e.g., In medications) and cannabis (THC) as well as methadone and ketamine.

The Dräger DrugTest 5000 is a portable analytical machine which is used by several major UK police forces, including the Metropolitan Police and Merseyside Police, in the fight against drug drivers.

The airport Health and Safety Manager at the airport comments: “Dräger has a very good reputation in our sector, and I knew they do a lot of work with the emergency services. My view is that if it’s good enough for the police and military, it’s the type of product we want. Plus, the previous breathing apparatus products we’ve had from Dräger have been really good, great support, great technicians.”

“The Dräger Alcotest® 68120 med is a special version of the proven Dräger Alcotest® series. It has been designed for diagnostic applications, where the CE marking for medical products is necessary.”

Action needed
The airport’s policy and approach to drug and alcohol testing was brought into sharp focus when the airport’s Health and Safety Manager was notified by a team member about a colleague who was suspected to be working whilst under the influence of alcohol. The colleague in question was in a risk-critical role at the airport, and it was imperative that the allegation be investigated properly in order to ensure safe operations, and also safeguard the wellbeing and safety of other colleagues.

As per the airport’s policy, the staff member’s line manager raised the concerns with him, giving him a chance to respond. He denied there was any issue. However, with reasonable grounds to suspect there was a problem, it was mutually agreed that a testing programme would be brought in for the staff member. At the same time, the HR department provided pastoral support.

As it was impractical and too costly for the external company to be used on a daily basis, the airport purchased a Dräger Alcotest 6820, which was used to test the individual on arrival for work each morning.

It was agreed that a zero tolerance approach would be taken given the high risk nature of his job within the airport, and so testing was undertaken every day for six weeks, this consisted of the staff member blowing a short breath into the device.

The airport Health and Safety Manager comments: “It was extremely simple and hygienic to operate – the device made it clear when the person should start breathing and when they should stop, and a reading was displayed a few seconds later, together with a traffic-light system showing whether no alcohol, some alcohol, or a level of alcohol over the legal limit was detected.”

“Each test was clear, which was a great relief to all concerned, and we subsequently reverted to random testing.

“However, sadly, shortly after this, a randomly-timed test revealed the same person to be over the prescribed limit for alcohol detection as defined by the company policy.”

The individual was suspended immediately to allow him to seek help via his doctor and support meetings. Whilst doing so, the company continued to support him, ensuring he remained on full pay, and checking in with regular welfare calls.

After two weeks, he returned to work, but shortly afterwards decided to leave his job.

“It was a very sad case to be involved in, but when you consider the risks involved had we not been able to identify the issue and take action, it’s unthinkable. It was a huge relief to be able to conclusively know what we were dealing with and be able to test so frequently and easily.” Concludes the airport Health and Safety Manager.

A whole new process
The experience prompted a complete review of the airport’s drug and alcohol (D&A) policy. This resulted in the issue of a new, revised D&A Policy which now includes random tests across all departments on a quarterly basis, which can then be backed up with comprehensive laboratory based confirmatory testing if required.

Additionally, another significant change is the introduction of compulsory D&A testing for all new starters prior to joining the company.

“In the past, we only required a medical after someone had joined. Now we conduct a routine drug and alcohol test before any employment offer is made. Drug testing is carried out using a Dräger DrugCheck 3000, an oral fluid drug testing device which uses a swab from the person’s mouth placed in the test device. No power source is needed, which means it is portable, hygienic and can be used anywhere – an important consideration on a site such as ours.” comments the airport Health & Safety Manager.

The non-invasive, hygienic, oral fluid test, which takes 3 – 5 minutes to complete, and will conclusively prove if one or more of five substance classes are present, simultaneously: Cocaine (COC), Opiates (OPI), Amphetamines (AMP), Methamphetamine (MET, also known as ‘Designer Drugs’ e.g. ecstasy, MDMA), and Cannabis (THC). It is highly accurate and reliable.

And the new D&A Policy is already proving to be effective: “We had interviewed and planned to employ a new starter, but during our routine testing prior to offering him the position, the test showed the presence of a Class A drug.

“Faced with the indisputable proof, he immediately admitted he was a regular recreational drug user and had taken Cocaine two days previously. It was clear that we could not – and would not – employ him.”

In conclusion
“We want to be fair and measured, and we’re keen to support colleagues that are struggling with personal issues or mental health problems. But the safe operation of the airport must be our priority It’s a risky enough operation without the worry of people being impaired in their work, and we have a duty of care to all those on site, both staff and the general public.

“It’s important to have a testing policy which also provides support and pastoral care, and we take our responsibilities as an employer very seriously in this regard. But at the same time, we need to be able to be confident in both a positive and negative test result, and the Dräger drug and alcohol testing technology empowers us to have this confidence and keep people safe as a result.” Concludes the airport Health and Safety Manager.

To find out more about Dräger’s Drug and Alcohol range please visit:

• Drug & Alcohol Testing at Work – effective policies for your company | Draeger