First published in Human Capital Magazine
An employee who is affected by drugs or alcohol in the workplace
presents a risk to themselves, other employees, customers and your
business. Costs to the business can include increased sick leave,
damage to property, injury and reputational damage. But what can
you do about it?
Can I test employees?
An employer's Occupational Health and Safety obligations are
generally viewed as paramount when compared to an individual
employee's privacy concerns, at least where the employee is
working in what is called 'safety sensitive' work (for
example, using heavy machinery,working at heights or with flammable
materials, driving or flying). Where disputes have arisen in
Australia in the past over whether the employer should be able to
undertake such testing on employees, industrial tribunals have
upheld the employer's right to do so where 'safety
sensitive' work is involved. Ideally, the right to undertake
drug and alcohol testing
