Random Drug and Alcohol Testing Program

In October 2009 the Canadian Human Rights Commission amended their drug and alcohol policy to allow for random drug and alcohol testing. The following is a quote from the revised policy.

“As long as employees are notified that alcohol testing is a condition of employment, random alcohol testing of employees in safety-sensitive positions may be permissible, but only if the employer accommodates the needs of those who test positive and are determined to be dependent . . . If an employer . . .believes that it may be able to justify random and pre-employment testing of its employees in safety-sensitive positions, these are the some of the factors that may be considered by the Commission in determining whether testing is a bona fide occupational requirement:

whether employees are under direct supervision;
whether there are less invasive alternatives to drug and alcohol testing that may help employers determine whether employees in safety-sensitive positions are impaired on the job;
whether there is evidence of a high incidence of drug use in the workplace or industry;
whether the employer offers a comprehensive employer-supported rehabilitation program; and
whether the employer is required to comply with legislation or regulations, such as occupational health and safety legislation, or U.S. Department of Transportation regulations.”
Canadian Human Rights Commission Policy on Drug and Alcohol Testing, October 2009

Prior to implementing a random testing program – be sure that your company’s drug and alcohol policy lays out random testing as component to the overall drug and alcohol testing program. Please contact SureHire if you do not have a drug and alcohol policy, or an update to the policy is required.

SureHire offers several types of random drug and alcohol testing programs including:

Traditional Random Drug and Alcohol Testing

This is the most common type of random program offered throughout Canada and the United States. Traditional random programs allow for every individual in the random pool to have an equal chance of being selected every test period (monthly, quarterly, etc.). This program does not factor in whether an employee has been previously tested, to reduce their chance of re-selection.

Periodic Random Drug and Alcohol Testing

Periodic random programs ensure that every employee is tested at least once within a set time period (6 months, 1 year, etc.). This ensures that there are not any individuals that never get tested. The employee is not removed from the random list after they have been tested and may be pulled more than once within the year.

Weighted Random Drug and Alcohol Testing

Weighted Random program is a program where people who have not been chosen have a greater weighting to their name. There is a greater statistical chance of pulling a person that has not been chosen as opposed to pulling a name a second time. This program allows for a higher percentage of your workforce to be picked every year. However, like a traditional random program, everyone still has the chance to be picked more than once. The weighted random program is SureHire’s most popular random testing program.

Follow up Program

For individuals that need to be placed on a follow up program (SAE/SAP recommended). Random dates/ months can be selected for when the individual should be tested for their follow up program.

Please contact SureHire to discuss which random testing program would work for your company.