I have had several years experience of drug and alcohol testing in the
workplace and have been involved in many unusual situations! In my
experience, the most important aspect of any testing procedure is the
presence of a sound drug and alcohol policy. If this is in place then all
parties invovled are aware of the procedure to be followed in the event of
a positive test and the employee in particular will know what to expect. I
have been in a similar situation to yours and what was agreed with the
company concerned was that an agreement would be drawn up with the
individual concerned and providing they consented to the testing and
understood the consequences, this could be carried out. This agreement also
became part of a rehabilitation plan that also included random testing.
The Forensic Science Service are an excellent source of information and
their workplace drug testing unit are usually happy to help.
Lynsey Scott
OH Practitioner
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