Worker who failed drugs test at work wins compensation

A rail inspector who was sacked last year for allegedly failing a drugs test at work has won his complaint of unfair dismissal at an employment tribunal.

The tribunal has yet to decide how much compensation Arthur Harriott, the dismissed worker, should be awarded.

This result comes at a time when a survey by Personnel Today has claimed that almost one in three organisations are planning to introduce alcohol and drug testing at work.

The charities providing a new Drug and Alcohol Workplace Service have warned that widespread workplace testing would not be a positive move. The charities, Alcohol Concern and DrugScope, suggest that workplace testing should only be introduced where safety is of the utmost concern, and there is a genuine need for such monitoring.
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