kevinl

Have just started looking for work and seen quite a few stating drink and Drug testing.
Is this like train drivers/pilots etc that have to be free from alcohol 48hrs before they work or do they give you a medical before you get the job to ascertain ow much you drink, take drugs.
I have no worries on the drugs but I have been on holiday for 6 weeks since we got here

Thanks

Kevin

manxfamily

Yea like you I don't know about the drugs, but I though drinking in Oz was compulsorary!

Olibeneli

How are you doin' Kev?

Hope you are settling OK............I'm planning leaving the rain soaked UK next month......Sharon and boys OK but it is TOUGH for her looking after the boys.

My next nightmare here is negotiating leaving work next month when they want me to stay to end of April.........shippers coming 1st March I am using Britannia like you did..........bricking myself at present that house goes through OK next month too.

Hope you and Debs and kids are OK....

Ceri

I can tell you that drug testing is used in certain industries, like working with dangerous goods etc.


I don't think it's very common place here , but within certain industries it has become more, and more so in recent years ,and I personally think it will probably become very common place in the future for most workplaces .

Drug use here in Aus is high same as it is in most western countries - whatever some certain people like to tell you on these forums "that Aus does not have these huge probs like bad old Britain does" lol - Of course it does -( maybe not to some people though, if they don't get out much)
Hence testing is becoming more so in some workplaces.

Anyway, we had a few of our guys tested last month - 3 failed . Two of them we knew would fail, the other one no ( one butter wouldn't melt in his mouth), and no they did not lose their jobs. It was done for a certain site job. Can't send them on site if they fail

Alcohol testing was not done at all ( shite we'd be left with no workers at all! lol) - you can sort of tell if someone has been on the booze and shouldn't be at work , drugs we can't of course

The test was for drugs, cannabis, speed,heroin etc.

Our three guys who failed they tested positive for cannabis - it stays in the body for around 6 weeks according to the doctor we had testing them.
( I also know if they had any sense ( which most people who taked dugs don't ) they could have taken something quite simple to rid the traces of cannabis out of their bodies - any person who has basic knowledge in chemistry will be able to tell you what it is.

One ( The butter wouldn't melt in his mouth guy) swore he had his joint 4 weeks earlier - a few drags of a joint ( I believe him, because he did "fess up" before the test was taken ) I know the other two are regular users ( not in work) of dope in the evenings.


cheers

worzel

In the mining sector they test offices as well as sites on a regular basis. Firstly you do a medical at which they test D&A then they do random spot-checks. At our place there is a machine to self test and you are free to walk out of the building for a while to sober up if needed. The limit is 0.02 I think which is probably somewhere between a midi and a pint. You don't have to be clear for 48 hours or anything like that, just sober enough at the time. It effectively rules out a lunchtime drink but they more than make up for it afterwork.

I think for sportsmen having an alcohol problem is a pre-requisite!