Drug Use In The Workplace

Drug testing in the workplace is quite rare in the United Kingdom in comparison with other countries. However, in the last decade such testing has become more widespread in areas outside the criminal justice system and sports, where it has been practiced for some time.

In 2004, approximately 15% of respondents in a MORI poll said they either already implemented drug testing or planned to introduce them by the end of 2005.

The major difference between the United Kingdom and the United States practice of drug testing in the workplace is that in the States, it is often seen as a means of deterring drug use among the working population in the United Kingdom, it is considered more of an obligation to both the public and health and safety of employees, and criminal law.

In 2004, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published the Independent Inquiry into Drug Testing at Work. Considering the legal rights of employees and employers, written and oral testimony services drug testings, unions and companies, and insurance experts, police and medical professionals, the 18-month investigation revealed that drug testing could play an important role in ensuring safety.

The report says drug testing has generally been very useful in the following circumstances:

1. When employees are engaging in drug use in the workplace.

2. When employees are actually intoxicated during working hours.

3. When the consumption of drugs or alcohol has an impact on employees performance that goes beyond the threshold of acceptability.

4. When the nature of work means that the responsible employer must take all reasonable steps to minimize the risk of accident

5. Where the nature of work means that the public is entitled to demand a higher standard than the average employee behavior, or where there is a risk of vulnerability to corruption.

In the United Kingdom, the first three cases could apply to any employer in an area and drug testing may be needed is to follow the requirements of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This makes the production, distribution and unlawful possession of controlled drugs - and if the employer can take place in their premises, they could be prosecuted for committing an offense.

The last two circumstances are behind most of the expansion of drug testing in the United Kingdom. Freight forwarders and transport companies, for example, have an obligation to their security staff - and the public. For example, it is common for pilots to undergo random drug testing and many truck companies also followed the practice.

The need for exemplary behavior and without the vulnerability to corruption in services such as social work, the medical profession and the police made drug testing extremely popular in some workplaces. Merseyside Constabulary, for example, implemented a policy of random drug testing in 1998.