Case study: Biffa

Waste management company Biffa introduced drug and alcohol testing to its fleet in 2005.
Matt Humphreys, head of safety, healthy and quality at Biffa, says: “We recognised that our front-line staff were carrying out particularly hazardous activities and we had to be sure that they were ‘clean’ and fit to operate machinery and drive vehicles.
“From a well-being perspective, we are increasingly promoting the effects of drug and alcohol use to help raise awareness and encourage a healthier lifestyle.”
Biffa’s policy is to test all employees ‘with cause’ i.e. if it suspects they have been drinking or using drugs.
Employees are also tested post-
accident and those who carry out safety-critical tasks are randomly tested.
Managers consult the HR team to ensure the policy is followed.
Humphreys acknowledges that getting employee acceptance “can be very difficult” but Biffa uses the duty of care argument.
“The argument from us is that if you are carrying out a task that could injure or kill someone, we have a duty of care to ensure that we protect all of our employees and members of the public. It is hard to argue against that,” he says.

Case study: The Environment Agency

The Environment Agency, which has a fleet of 3,649 cars and 1,428 vans and 4x4s, has a zero
tolerance approach to drugs and alcohol at work and testing has been part of its policy for the past five years.
“It acts as a deterrent,” says Dale Eynon, head of fleet operations at the Environment Agency.
“We don’t routinely test, but we will if we suspect. For example, if someone comes into work smelling of alcohol.”
All managers have been given advice about the signs to look for, although Eynon says drugs can be “harder to detect” than alcohol.
If a manager is suspicious, an external provider carries out the test.