Engineering Employee drugs testing
Alcohol and Drugs test UK Engineering
Engineering takes responsibility seriously
Engineering companies and their employees have a duty of care and responsibility for contributing to a safe and healthy work environment. This obligation includes responsible behaviour with respect to the use of drugs (illicit, prescription, and non-prescription) and alcohol at work. In general, UK engineering companies take early action to respond to situations where the use of drugs or alcohol may risk health and safety. Most recognise that the abuse of alcohol and drugs is a significant problem facing society generally and can pose a risk to employee's health and safety in the workplace. All employees, regardless of their position, have an obligation to cooperate in implementing policies which seek to promote occupational health and safety. Accordingly, in support of their policy, engineering companies continue to:
a. Develop and maintain procedures that support drug and alcohol policy
b. Provide on-going training with respect to the policy and procedures
c. Provide education in relation to drug and alcohol issues
d. Apply intervention strategies, including drug and alcohol screening
e. Provide access to confidential counselling and support facilities
Research shows that engineering companies in the UK are committed to taking early and sustainable action to positively respond to and prevent situations where the use of drugs and/or alcohol may undermine health and safety. Projects are committed to drug and alcohol procedures that include pre-employment, random and for-cause drug and alcohol testing of employees and subcontractors. Refusal to undertake these tests amount to a serious breach of Policy and often results in withdrawal of potential employment offer or termination of current employment. Any positive results identified through testing, result in actions that include suspension with or without pay, and/or termination of employment.
Health and Safety Liabilities
Legal liability for health and safety is the basis for further introduction of testing programmes. It is the employer's responsibility, or 'duty of care', to ensure occupational safety and health. The tightening of corporate liability in a number of industries has increased testing for many organisations. For example, the government's introduction of a 'corporate manslaughter' bill makes company directors personally liable for preventable occupational accidents.
A further motivation cited by employers for Workplace Drug Testing (WDT) comes from a moral standpoint based on the illegality of drugs, or one based on a personal belief that drug use of any sort is morally wrong. Employers often maintain that testing is the only way to tell if an employee is using drugs. This separates the moral argument from the safety, business and prosecution arguments because it is directly associated with work performance.
Any drug consumed regularly will result in a built-up tolerance to that drug and users are very often able to function at levels of intake that 'normal' people can not, particularly where alcohol is concerned. Usually no distinction is made between drug use and abuse in moral arguments. But while the lack of distinction may be appropriate for the moral stance, the consequences for the employee of a positive drug or alcohol test should be relevant to their drug use patterns. Every employee's work is relevant to the productivity of the organisation and moral concerns apply to all stakeholders in it.
Prevention or deterrence?
Increasingly, the aim of a drug and alcohol testing regime is prevention. This contrasts with the attitude in the 1980s when testing was predominantly used to detect and dismiss employees. Prevention and deterrence are relevant to both performance and moral arguments.
Reliable evidence that the deterrent approach works is difficult to produce but there are some indications that a WDT programme is an effective deterrent to drug use. For example the European Workplace Drug Testing Society (EWDTS, a pro-testing group) reports rather cautiously that where testing has been introduced, the percentage of positives seems to decrease with the years following the introduction of WDT. A major ethical consideration is that WDT affects privacy. National legislation is the same as that for searches, which requires the consent of the person concerned to be lawful. The question of consent is a thorny one. Most guidelines for WDT require that informed consent be obtained before testing. In the UK, failure to comply with drug testing which is included in an employment agreement can be interpreted as a disciplinary offence.
Do you really know your Engineers?
A PROJECT ENGINEER in a government-linked engineering and construction company sold Ecstasy tablets to an undercover narcotics officer who had chatted with him over the Internet and asked for drugs. The engineer was given five years' jail. He was also jailed for 12 months concurrently for consuming Ecstasy.
The court heard that he met an undercover narcotics Police officer at a car park and handed over a plastic packet with 10 yellow tablets, each marked 'E', together with some other tablets. Officers then closed in and arrested him. His urine sample was analysed and found to contain Ecstasy. During his trial his lawyer told the court that the engineer had done well in his career, gaining glowing testimonials from his superiors. The graduate in electronics engineering embarked on part-time studies while working to improve himself. In view of his good performance, his company sponsored his two and a half year engineering degree from the University of Aberdeen, where he obtained first-class honours. He was also involved in completing major infrastructure projects in Singapore and providing support to other overseas projects. Two other drug trafficking charges were taken into consideration during the sentencing.
FREE TOOLBOX TALKS
We have developed a series Five free Alcohol and Drugs Toolbox Talks specifically for Safety Managers.
- Click here to download the Alcohol and Drugs Tool Box Talks
- Complete the On-Line Request For Sample Collection and Analysis Form
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The Impact of Alcohol and Drugs in UK Industry Sectors (click on a link):
- Public Service Transport
- Logistics and Distribution
- Engineering
- Utilities
- Railways
- Shipping and Maritime
- Finance and Commerce
- Aviation
- Manufacturing
- Education
- Retail and Wholesale
- Atomic and Nuclear
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