P25
SYSTEMISED REVIEW OF EVIDENCE FOR WORKPLACE DRUG TESTING
P. Carr, Workplace Health & Wellbeing Unit, HSE, Dublin, Ireland
Background:
Workplace drug&alcohol testing is common practice amongst multiple industries in Ireland and abroad. A 2023 UN report showed Ireland ranks 4th place amongst European countries for past-year prevalence of cocaine use(1). There is no legal basis for workplace drug testing within Ireland under current legislation; this must be managed through policy(2).
Methods:
A literary search was carried out using the PubMed database. Search terms used were “drug policy” AND “workplace”. Broad search terms were utilised to try and capture all data / research related to both drug policy and the workplace. Filters used on the data base search were papers published in English only, and papers published in the past 10 years to ensure the most relevant data was included.
242 papers were yielded, which were screened by title and abstract. 14 papers were included for inclusion, with an additional 4 papers included through grey literature.
Results:
Papers were thematically analysed, and categorised into 3 themes: 1) Drug Legislation & Policy, 2) Prevention of Injury and Adverse Outcomes in the Workplace, 3) Effects of Support Services. Heterogeneity exists worldwide regarding drug legislation. Having a drug policy was associated with reduced consumption. Multi-modal approaches (policy, testing, education, support services) were found to be required to take workplace drug use, in comparison to alcohol where single interventions were often effective.
Implications:
Limited studies exist evaluating workplace drug policy efficacy and further research is needed. Current evidence indicates that complex, multi-modal drug policies are required to have a positive workplace impact.
References:
- UNODC 2023. Global Report on Cocaine Use 2023 – Local dynamics, global challenges. Austria: United Nations Publications.
- HSA 2011. Intoxicants at Work. In: HSA (ed.). Dublin: HSA.
