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 United Kingdom
Testing for drugs and alcohol began to be included within UK workplace polices towards the end of the 1980s. Initial interest came from the oil, chemical and energy industries, and all forms of transport. Today companies across a wide range of industries are looking at the way drugs and alcohol can affect business critical decisions as well as safety critical issues. There is no accurate assessment of the number of employees subject to testing, although a survey in 2001 by the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) indicated that while 60% of companies have policies, only 18% include testing.
There are no laws mandating testing but equally there are no laws forbidding testing. The major laboratories in the UK carrying out legally defensible workplace drug testing have co-operated to produce Guidelines on Workplace Drug Testing, to ensure that standards are maintained.
It is expected that testing is only carried out within the framework of a drug and alcohol policy that includes clear rules, education on the issues, and help for those people with drug and alcohol problems. Employees should have indicated their agreement to the policy, either individually or via their employee representatives.
The customary sample for drug analysis is urine. The individual must give informed consent for the analysis and for the results to be reported to the employer. Positive results are those that have undergone intensive laboratory analysis AND been reviewed to account for any medication the individual may have taken.
The sample is split between two bottles, which are both sent to the laboratory. Only one bottle is opened, the second is kept in secure storage and can be transferred to another laboratory if the individual wishes to challenge the result.
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