Railway Employee Drugs Testing
Alcohol and drugs testing on the railway
Safety Critical Workplace Drug Testing
Under section 27 of the Transport & Works Act it is an offense for railway employees to carry out, and for railway employers to allow employees to carry out, safety critical work while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Due to the potential for serious injury, allegations of alcohol and drugs abuse on the railway are a great concern and train drivers, guards, train preparation staff, signal operators, track workers, and other safety critical staff are all subject to procedures that prevent this from occurring. This law is enforced by the British Transport Police and Railway Group Standard GE/RT8070 sets out compliance measures for railway operators to control the risks associated with drugs and alcohol use. Railway employers carry out drug and alcohol testing in a number of circumstances; selecting or promoting staff to safety critical tasks, after an accident or incident, and on a random unannounced basis as a measure of deterrence.
Setting the standard and leading the way
Achilles' "Link-up" is the rail industry supplier qualification scheme, which consists of a strict audit protocol to ensure that specific standards for service provision are being observed. The Railways Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), the organisation responsible for setting the audit standards, specify a number of conditions, one of which is that laboratories used in alcohol and drug programmes must be ISO 17025 accredited for Drugs of Abuse testing.
First Class Only
At Noviche, we provide alcohol and drugs testing services to all rail organisations including Annual For-Cause Registration where we guarantee to be on site anywhere in the UK with in two hours of your call being logged. Our consultants, having spent decades in senior management positions on the railway, have worked closely for many years with Link-up accredited suppliers, in ensuring Chain of Custody systems and Collection Officer competency management systems remain in the first class section - and never standard class!
What can happen when it all goes to pot
The Cannon Street station rail crash was an accident on the British railway system which occurred on 8 January 1991 at Cannon Street station. The accident killed two people and injured 524 others. The 07:58 commuter train composed of elderly Class 415 and Class 416 units from Sevenoaks failed to stop at a dead end on Platform 3 and collided with a buffer stop at around 10 mph. No fault in the train's braking system could be found and the driver was held solely to blame. He was tested for drugs three days after the accident and traces of cannabis were found in his system.
The public inquiry however, found that there was insufficient evidence to suggest this had caused the accident but within six months of the accident occuring the whole railway network was subject to a blanket alcohol and drugs testing policy.
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
Contact Us
For drugs testing, alcohol testing, drug screening, alcohol hair testing, mobile phlebotomist, drugs training, or Drager recalibration in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Chester, Derby, Exeter, Hull, Ipswich, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Northampton, Nottingham, Norwich, Preston, Shrewsbury, Stafford, Swansea, Swindon, and York, please CONTACT US
