Testing for alcohol when screening employees has some characteristics that make it unique, as compared to other drugs. Let’s take a look at those differences.

1) Testing Methods- While urine testing is usually a great method to find illegal drugs in the system, it is not necessarily the best system for alcohol testing. Why? The urine test will show the amount of drugs or alcohol in the body since the last void. Not the actual current amount. If you are testing for illegal drugs, this is not an issue. There shouldn’t be any in the system at all! But if you are testing for alcohol and are looking for the level of impairment, you should consider oral fluids, breath alcohol, or blood if necessary. Having said that, if you have a policy prohibiting drinking or being under the influence of alcohol at work, and the urine test shows alcohol… there is a decent chance it was consumed at work, or close enough to work hours that the employee could be seen as working under the influence. If you are doing reasonable suspicion or post-accident cause testing though, you will get a more accurate level of impairment with oral fluids or a breath alcohol test.

2) Alcohol is a legal drug – While you can prohibit consumption of alcohol during the work day, or prohibit being under the influence at work, it is unlikely you can require that your employees avoid it during their free time, as you can with illegal drugs. However, if your employees are role models in the public eye, you can require that they do not appear in public in a drunken state, even if they are off the clock. No child wants to see their soccer coach stumbling from the local bar!

3) Alcohol testing is considered a medical test by the ADA – This means you cannot test for alcohol pre-offer. (Although you can test for illegal drugs pre-offer.) It also means you can only test for alcohol if there is a reasonable suspicion  (it can be debated on whether an accident is a reasonable suspicion) and it means you cannot test randomly for alcohol unless the employee is in a public safety position, or in an alcohol rehabilitation program.

In short, alcohol is a drug, but is treated a bit differently than other drugs in employment screening situations. Be sure to consult your attorney regarding your own screening policy.