Privacy Policy: Drug and Alcohol Testing
Rapier Employment
Last updated: 31/07/2025
Rapier Employment (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to ensuring the health, safety, and wellbeing of all workers and clients. This privacy notice explains how we collect, use, and protect personal data in relation to drug and alcohol testing during the recruitment and ongoing employment process.
We carry out drug and alcohol testing to:
Meet client contractual obligations
Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations
Assess candidate and employee suitability for safety-sensitive roles
Maintain a safe and productive work environment
Testing may be required at pre-employment stage, randomly, post-incident, or under reasonable suspicion.
We rely on the following lawful bases under the UK GDPR:
Legal Obligation – to comply with health and safety legislation
Legitimate Interests – to ensure fitness for work and protect workplace safety
Explicit Consent – where required, we will obtain your consent to carry out testing and process special category data
As part of the testing process, we may collect and process:
Personal identifiers (name, date of birth, contact details)
Test results (pass/fail and substance presence if applicable)
Medical declarations or history related to the test
Date, time, and location of test
Reason for testing (e.g., pre-placement, post-incident)
Your data will be used to:
Assess your suitability for work placements
Make decisions about employment or continued engagement
Comply with client requirements and legal obligations
Maintain accurate records for auditing and compliance
Your drug and alcohol test data will only be shared when necessary with:
Internal staff involved in recruitment, health & safety, or compliance
Clients requiring confirmation of test outcomes
Approved third-party testing providers (labs or clinics)
We will not share your personal test data with any parties for marketing or unrelated purposes.
We retain drug and alcohol test data only for as long as necessary to fulfil its purpose and meet legal or contractual obligations. Typically, results are kept for 12 months, unless there is an ongoing legal, disciplinary, or compliance need to retain them longer.
We implement appropriate safeguards including:
Secure storage of test results and reports
Role-based access controls
Encrypted systems and records management
You have the right to:
Access your personal data held by us
Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
Withdraw consent where applicable (note: may affect placement eligibility)
Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)