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  1. Drugs at work: employee cocaine use on the rise

    ...r illegal drugs in 2005. Overall, more than 5% of workers are now failing drugs tests, a rise of 18%. However, Medscreen warns that the true scale of the problem is likely to be far higher; in some companies as many as one member of staff in four who were tested had a positive result for drugs or alcohol. The Government’s National Workplace Initiative states: “It is important that all businesses are aware of the potential impact of drink and drugs to their bottom line, and have in place an effective and robust workplace policy that clearly outlines a company's rules and procedures for dealing...

    News | 25 Sep 2006

  2. Charity reports rise in workplace drug testing concerns

    ...ector of Release, said the practice was “worrying,” and warned that employers risked alienating their staff. He said businesses should be supporting staff who may have drug problems rather than using such problems as an excuse to avoid redundancy payouts. According to Workplace Law Network’s Alcohol and Drugs at Work factsheet, key points which employers must remember about workplace testing are: there are legal obligations on employers to ensure a safe and healthy workplace for their employees; employees have a right to work in a safe and healthy workplace and they have responsibilities for their ow...

    News | 19 May 2009

  3. Scale of at-work drink driving unknown

    ...alculated from the 2006 road accident figures that 5% of drivers who failed a breath test after a crash were driving for work at the time. While these figures have never been published before, they do confirm similar findings from fleet risk-management companies.Grendonstar, which provides drug and alcohol testing services, says fleet managers should expect that at least 8% of company drivers will fail a breathalyser or roadside drug test.“If we tested a company with 100 staff, we would typically fail between eight and 12 of them for drugs or alcohol,” said Simon Truelove, Grendonstar general man...

    News | 20 Aug 2008

  4. Council staff to face drugs tests at work

    ... employees as part of the recruitment process, where people are applying for ‘risk critical’ jobs, such as driving or operating machinery. Existing staff will be subjected to random drink and drug tests. Workers will be asked to blow into breath testers and those with more than a 0.8% blood alcohol concentration will fail. Urine will be tested for traces of drugs. It is hoped the threat of drug testing will force people with alcohol or drug problems to speak to a GP or a member of the council's management. County Council leader John Boyce made the point that the council wanted to help st...

    News | 11 Sep 2007

  5. HSE publishes new alcohol at work guide

    The HSE has published a new guide that aims to provide small and medium-sized businesses with information on the issue of alcohol in the workplace. The publication, Don't mix it! A guide for employers on alcohol at work, explains the legal position, what employers can and should do, information on who to consult with, information on screening, and case studies. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 ...

    News | 5 Jan 2007

  6. Alcohol and employees - The morning after effect

    The UK Government has now launched its annual Christmas drink-driving campaign; it is especially keen that at work drivers and their families are vigilant when driving the morning after a night out, particularly with continued evolution of the 24-hour drinking laws. It can take hours for alcohol to leave the body and drivers can unwittingly be over the limit as they drive to work the next day. In fact, research suggests that still over the limit employees driving to work the next morning commit nearly one in five drink-drive offences. Ed Dubens, CEO of Interactive Driving Systems says:...

    News | 30 Nov 2006

  7. Is a culture of ‘booze and drugs’ endangering the workplace?

    A ‘booze and drugs’ culture in Britain is having an increasingly harmful effect on businesses and the workplace, a report has claimed. Around 17 million working days are lost in the UK each year through alcohol-related sickness, according to the Guidance on alcohol and drug misuse in the workplace report by the Faculty of Occupational Medicine in London. The report also found that 35% of people of working age have used an illicit drug. As Workplace Law previously reported, figures based on 480,000 tests...

    News | 15 Nov 2006

  8. Drink driving: is there ever a place for alcohol at work?

    ...e last few years, as have the number of people killed in such accidents. "There has been a worrying upturn in the number of people drinking and driving," says Penny Marshall, head of road safety at the Government Office for the North East. For employers, the problem raises the question of whether alcohol and work can, or should, ever mix. In a recent Workplace Law Magazine article, readers debated whether, for example, sales executives should be able to have a drink with clients at lunchtime, or in fact whether alcohol should ever be held on workplace premises. Commenting on the issue, Martin Brew...

    News | 20 Jul 2005

  9. Risk of violence at work ‘low’, says HSE

    ... the offenders in 65% of cases of workplace violence. Among incidents where the offender was known, the offenders were most likely to be clients or a member of the public known through work.   Victims of actual or threatened violence at work said that the offender was under the influence of alcohol in 38% of incidents, and that the offender was under the influence of drugs in 19% of incidents.   The 2009/10 BCS found 37% of assaults at work resulted in injury, with minor and severe bruising and cuts accounting for the majority of the injuries recorded. This is a reduction in percentag...

    News | 21 Jan 2011

  10. Government urged to clarify the law on drug testing at work

    ... after drugs have been taken – in hair follicles, blood or urine, it says. It says that rather than resort to drug testing, employers who are serious about the welfare of their staff and removing drugs from the workplace will find their time better spent developing a comprehensive drugs and alcohol policy which supports staff.  TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber, said: “Clearly no employer can ignore drugs use in the workplace. Individuals who come to work under the influence of any kind of performance-influencing drug may not only be risking their own safety but also that of other...

    News | 28 May 2010

  11. Over half a million people hungover at work each day

    Each day more than 520,000 people in Great Britain go to work with a hangover, according to new research by alcohol charity, Drinkaware. The findings, released today, show that the average person goes to work suffering from the effects of too much alcohol three times a month, and of those who are hungover, almost one in five admit struggling to keep on top of their workload and to making mistakes (17%). In ...

    News | 26 May 2010

  12. 327,000 have experienced violence at work at least once

    ...were the offenders in 59% of cases of workplace violence. Among incidents where the offender was known, the offenders were most likely to be clients or a member of the public known through work.  Victims of actual or threatened violence at work said that the offender was under the influence of alcohol in 36% of incidents, and that the offender was under the influence of drugs in 18% of incidents.  The 2008/09 BCS found 47% of assaults at work resulted in injury, with minor bruising and scratching accounting for the majority of the injury type recorded.  Brendan Barber, General Secretary of ...

    News | 22 Jan 2010

  13. Smoking at work

    Whilst I basically agree with the workplace being non-smoking, within my charity we have a significant problem. Our client group includes mental health and substance abuse, both alcohol and drugs.Within both of these groupings there is a very significant majority who smoke. With one grouping it is obviously difficult to introduce prohibition particularly with the new human rights legislation. However is it reasonable and/or practicable, to use the favourite H&S words, to expect ad...

    Comment | 20 Dec 2004

  14. Government urged to clarify the law on drug testing at work

    If a person has to regularly take prescribed medication, then appropriate measures should be implemented to ensure the safety of the individual and those round them. But surely the abuse or misuse of drugs/alcohol while at work is unacceptable regardless! Even if a person is office based, being high on drugs, suffering the effects of alcohol etc can still be an issue. They could fall down stairs, fall in to the corner of a desk, get dragged in to a shredder by their tie/long hair etc etc. Having a policy is...

    Comment | 2 Jun 2010

  15. Random tests on staff urged to tackle drink and drugs problems at work

    The London Chamber of Commerce today urged firms to consider using a range of measures including random tests on their staff to tackle the growing problems of alcohol and drug abuse in the workplace.A new report from the London Chamber shows that:   * Industry loses around £2bn a year through alcohol-related illnesses. Yet 43% of firms have no workplace alcohol and drugs policy.   * Workplace problems may result from staff getting drunk or taking drugs outs...

    News | 19 Jun 2001

  16. Drinking at work

    It always amuses me that people are prepared to give a mind altering substance such credence, and fully condone the use of it. Yet a different mind altering substance is considered evil. Don't get me wrong, I sometimes drink alcohol, and never take illegal drugs, but the arguments for their use are often, well ... silly. I get what James is saying, communicating the fact to others is sometimes nearly impossible, yet I also disagree with him over the use of mind altering substances at work, whether legal or not. To "get ...

    Comment | 10 Sep 2008

  17. Worker who failed drugs test at work wins compensation

    ...laint 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 ...

    News | 13 Aug 2001

  18. Dismissal for drinking during work time found to be unfair

    ...ing in which an employee who was sacked for drinking during work time was unfairly dismissed has been rejected.    Caretaker Allan Reid had drunk a pint of lager shandy, outside his workplace but during working hours.  He was found in the bar by his boss.  His employer, Liberty Living, had an alcohol and drugs policy in place which stated that “consumption of alcohol or being under the influence of alcohol while performing company business or in the workplace is prohibited…” and “violation of this policy can result in disciplinary action up to an including discharge…”   Mr Reid w...

    Case | 13 Apr 2011

  19. Are You in Favour of Drug Testing at Work?

    ...reviously. They warn the tests regularly turns up false positives and serve to divert attention from real health and safety concerns, like poor safety systems, under-staffing, fatigue and overwork. Studies have show that union-run initiatives are most effective at dealing with any workplace drug or alcohol problems.

    News | 28 Jul 2003

  20. Drinking habits of English worker revealed

    ...ing to a level which negatively affects their performance, attendance or behaviour at work is unacceptable. Policies should also spell out the health risks of excessive drinking and make it clear that support is available for people that have a dependency problem.” According to Workplace Law’s Alcohol and Drugs at Work factsheet, policies on alcohol and drugs in the workplace should: set out the legal obligations behind the policy and summarise the aims of the policy; be clear as to whom the policy applies; make clear what will be considered to be alcohol and drug misuse and any specific rules / except...

    News | 26 May 2009

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