Drug testing: time to abandon it being limited to safety-sensitive areas only? None of this really helps us treat our people with the respect and care they deserve. Some lawyers and H&S practitioners are guilty of being purveyors of fear and anxiety using 'compliance' as their tool of torture.
(I made the following comment regarding the Drug and Alcohol issue on LinkedIn recently and have pasted it below)
The workplace drug and alcohol debate is distracted by an unhelpful focus on (and even prejudice around) the type of substance.
The discussion in my view is in two clear places:
1. A safety focus (impairment prevention - particularly around driving, machinery operation, and other operations where impaired function will influence operational safety); and
2. A health focus (factors influencing substance misuse, overuse, or abuse).
In order to have a sensible debate their are a few key facts to consider:
- There is no clear evidence of a correlation between substances and workplace deaths or serious injuries.
- 99% of our people are good people and deserve to be treated as such. The policing mentality around drugs and alcohol is likely to be having a negative effect on attracting people to and retaining people.
- Our people are more likely to be impaired through fatigue and mental health issues rather than substance impairment. I see lots of resources poured into drug testing/detection dogs, but little into checks for tired and stressed workers.