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Drugs testing at work

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Has anyone had an experience of drug tests at work?
I'm just interested...do these tests only take place in safety critical companies? (eg. police force/ambulance etc)

I guess most companies do a drug screening process during recruitment (eg. for the army). If a company does random drugs tests, do they have to give you advance warning?

Thanks :)

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    companies can do it as well as public services and the forces.
    yes they will give you warning but bear in mind most substances take time to clear out of your system so as not to show up on a drugs screening test.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think most companies would only do it if they had reasonable reason to. Like if u always moody n look like crap n stuff. Or if they wana get rid of you but cant find a reason.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah I'm aware that companies can do it too but I think only a very small percentage of companies do.

    So how much warning do they have to give you?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well i suppose it depends why they are doing it. If its just random stuff maybe a week or two, if they are trying to catch you out maybe not so long. Most drugs leave your system in a day or two anyway, cannabis is the only thing i'd say you've really got to worry about cause that stays in your system for a month.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah I suppose most companies have to have reason. I was just interested in company policy nowadays - whether they can just carry out a drugs test when you start the job or whether they have to have good reason or give you warning.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I know ours fairly routinely tests most people when they start (anyone who might drive somewhere for work, which covers most people). It's not just the tanker drivers they test, but engineers, sales guys, marketing, admin, the works.

    I know some of the regular drivers (tankers etc) are subject to random screening, but they know about that and it's in their contracts.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I know ours fairly routinely tests most people when they start (anyone who might drive somewhere for work, which covers most people). It's not just the tanker drivers they test, but engineers, sales guys, marketing, admin, the works.

    Ah right..what kind of company is that?
    Do they give them notice of the test or test them in the first week or whatever? Surely you have to be made aware of it before you start?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    At the moment I'm a sponsored student so it doesn't apply to me.

    It's an international petrochemicals company, so they employ pretty much everything from HR to designers to drivers to engineers to nurses to receptionists to data controllers to welders to company nurses. Anyone who will have a company car or may drive to/for work (ie to meetings or another site/office) is tested when they start as part of the occupational health assessment and they know it will be part of the assessment.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My mate works for a rail company and they can test you for drugs at any time (and rightly so!) so he gave up smoking weed and feels a lot better for it.

    On a related issue, i think i read on the BBC website something about new stricter testing by the police on people who have cannabis or other drugs in their system whilst driving. I think this means that even if you had a spliff the night before you would still get into trouble.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think this means that even if you had a spliff the night before you would still get into trouble.

    I think you will find any half-decent brief would make mince meat of such a situation; cannabinoids stay around in the system for a long time, not to mention the fact that you could claim you were in the vicinity of someone ingesting it. There'd have to be some context, eg: the Policeman saw you driving erratically and you appeared to be intoxicated and had an old roach in the ash tray.

    Highly unlikely that a test for that, alone, would convict you...they could try to convince you to admit to driving under the influence, and then if you give them that you're in trouble.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think you will find any half-decent brief would make mince meat of such a situation; cannabinoids stay around in the system for a long time,

    True, but the article said they measure the volume of cannabinoids in your system - meaning, volume would be higher if you'd had a doobie the night before than if you'd been pulled over a couple of months later.
    not to mention the fact that you could claim you were in the vicinity of someone ingesting it.

    Yeah, that's a good one - think though that if the cannaboids are in your system regardless if you ingested it, your mate ingested it, or your dog ingested it.
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