Warning on drug test 'explosion'

By JONATHAN BROWN

British employees face an "explosion" in compulsory drug testing at work despite little or no evidence that it prevents drug abuse or dramatically improves safety, says a new study.

The Independent Inquiry on Drug Testing at Work warned that allowing bosses to investigate private drug-taking and alcohol consumption was "in conflict with liberal-democratic values". The 18-month study concluded that poor working conditions, excessive workloads and stress had a greater impact on safety at work.

The study found that 78 per cent of employers would introduce testing if it led to productivity gains. Nearly one in three did not accept that testing infringed employees' human rights.

The report said: "We could be on the cusp of an explosion of drug testing in the Britain", and warned that workplace drug tests could soon become "a fact of everyday working life".

It called for new restrictions to stem the rise and recommended that the Government should limit testing to occupations where there were legitimate safety concerns. But it said there was still a "lack of evidence for a strong link between drug use and accidents in safety critical industries".

Tests can reveal the presence of prescription drugs required to treat private medical conditions and may reveal recreational drugs taken weeks earlier, long after the effects have worn off.

Ruth Evans, who led the study, said: "Whatever we've done this weekend, whether it's looking after a baby who can't sleep, rowing with a partner or looking after an elderly relative, the way we live our private lives affects the way we perform our work. But the question to ask is: at what point does it become a matter of legitimate concern for our employers, and does it justify actively investigating what we get up to outside work?"

The study accepted there were legitimate arguments for testing workers in industries where safety was paramount such as transport, nuclear energy or construction. British Airways and Transport for London have both introduced compulsory testing.

The police should also be tested to maintain public confidence, the report said.

However, it concluded: "There is no justification for drug testing simply as a way of policing the private behaviour of the workforce, nor is it an appropriate tool for dealing with most performance issues."

The study was funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in association with the charity DrugScope and took evidence from employers and employees, drug testing laboratories, trade unions and business organisations, police, doctors, lawyers and drug experts.

Only 4 per cent of employers questioned conducted tests, although 9 per cent said they were likely to introduce them in the next year. But the report's authors fear that Britain could undergo a similar rise to that in the United States where drug testing is now a multibillion-dollar a year industry.

One of the causes driving the expansion was the marketing of drugs tests to employers, the report said. And researchers found some bosses were telling valued employees to stay at home when they knew the tests would take place.

Ruth Evans, chair of the inquiry, said: "We are in danger of slipping into a situation where employers are taking on a quasi-policing role with respect to the private lives of their staff."

- INDEPENDENT