One in five don’t take any action if they suspect a friend, family member or colleague of using illegal drugs. Regional variations show that almost twice as many Londoners suspect colleagues of drug use compared to national average.
Would simple drug tests in the workplace help? New technology enables employers to screen employees using a simple fingerprint sweat test. New research released today suggests that more than one in ten workers across the UK have suspected a colleague of taking illegal drugs. This figure rises to 24 percent in London – almost twice the national average, while at 6 percent those surveyed in the North-East appeared to be far less suspicious of their colleagues.
The research, commissioned by Intelligent Fingerprinting to determine UK attitudes to drug screening in the workplace, also shows that one in five employees took no action to help or confront the colleague they suspected of drug use. This, despite the fact that 43 percent of people worry that working alongside someone under the influence of drugs makes their workplace unsafe. Similarly, just under a quarter (22 percent) have suspected a friend of taking illegal drugs, but again those one in five did nothing about it.
Dr Paul Yates of Intelligent Fingerprinting commented: “drug misuse has always been a concern when it comes to health & safety in the workplace, however this latest research suggests the issue could be even more widespread than previously thought. It is clear that drug usage not only puts the safety of individual employees at risk, but also contributes to the cumulative workplace accidents that cost the UK some £4 billion every year[1]. It’s particularly an issue in those sectors where drug misuse takes place in safety-critical working environments such as construction, manufacturing, logistics, public transport networks and utilities.”
“What is notable from the research is that colleagues are reluctant to act – perhaps because they do not have the ability to provide proof or evidence that drug usage has actually taken place,” adds Paul Yates. “Employers who do implement a drug and alcohol policy are often frustrated by the practical challenges within their specific workplaces. Operating a traditional drug screening service using urine tests on a construction site, for example, is rather inconvenient. It’s perhaps no surprise that our new fingerprint-based drug screening test – thanks to its portability, ease-of-use and non-invasive approach – is already generating interest from those health & safety managers and occupational health professionals who are responsible for safety in the workplace. It takes only a few seconds to collect a fingerprint sweat sample and screens for multiple drugs of abuse – amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine and opiates – in a single test, delivering results in under eight minutes. It’s an ideal platform for spontaneous workplace drug screening and we know that regular random drug screening, combined with an effective drug and alcohol policy, acts as a strong deterrent to drug use in the workplace.”
Facts and figures from the research and regional breakdown
The research for Intelligent Fingerprinting was carried out online by Opinion Matters between 27/04/2018 and 30/04/2018 amongst a panel resulting in 1,200 respondents. All research conducted adheres to the MRS Codes of Conduct (2010) in the UK and ICC/ESOMAR World Research Guidelines. Opinion Matters is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and is fully compliant with the Data Protection Act (1998).
National
- 13 percent have suspected a colleague of taking illegal drugs while at work
- 43 percent worry that working alongside someone under the influence of drugs makes their workplace unsafe
- 20 percent took no action to help or confront the colleague they suspected of drug use
East of England
- 11 percent have suspected a colleague of taking illegal drugs while at work
- 46 percent worry that working alongside someone under the influence of drugs makes their workplace unsafe
- 17 percent took no action to help or confront the colleague they suspected of drug use
London
- 24 percent have suspected a colleague of taking illegal drugs while at work
- 37 percent worry that working alongside someone under the influence of drugs makes their workplace unsafe
- 21 percent took no action to help or confront the colleague they suspected of drug use
East Midlands
- 11 percent have suspected a colleague of taking illegal drugs while at work
- 42 percent worry that working alongside someone under the influence of drugs makes their workplace unsafe
- 18 percent took no action to help or confront the colleague they suspected of drug use
West Midlands
- 12 percent have suspected a colleague of taking illegal drugs while at work
- 42 percent worry that working alongside someone under the influence of drugs makes their workplace unsafe
- 13 percent took no action to help or confront the colleague they suspected of drug use
North East
- 6 percent have suspected a colleague of taking illegal drugs while at work
- 44 percent worry that working alongside someone under the influence of drugs makes their workplace unsafe
- 11 percent took no action to help or confront the colleague they suspected of drug use
North West
- 12 percent have suspected a colleague of taking illegal drugs while at work
- 42 percent worry that working alongside someone under the influence of drugs makes their workplace unsafe
- 29 percent took no action to help or confront the colleague they suspected of drug use
Northern Ireland
- 15 percent have suspected a colleague of taking illegal drugs while at work
- 50 percent worry that working alongside someone under the influence of drugs makes their workplace unsafe
- 40 percent took no action to help or confront the colleague they suspected of drug use
Scotland
- 13 percent have suspected a colleague of taking illegal drugs while at work
- 49 percent worry that working alongside someone under the influence of drugs makes their workplace unsafe
- 22 percent took no action to help or confront the colleague they suspected of drug use
