Drugs/Alcohol test.

JemmaM91

Hi,
My OH went for an interview about 2 weeks ago. Today he had a phone call asking him to go back for a Drug and Alcohol test on Monday.

The drug test isn't a problem at all.
The alcohol test - He does drink occasionally, in fact he had a few beers last night whilst watching the football.

My question is - How far back does the test go and what would you say is acceptable? Also would he have to have blood tests? Or just a simple urine test?

I'm sorry if it sounds like a silly question, but he has wanted a job like this for years and it is almost double the pay which he is on now and would make a big difference to our family. So he's worrying hes messed up by drinking last night.

Thanks in advance for any answers

hcb42

I wouldnt worry if he drinks occasionally. We all drink occasionally, some more occasionally than others :P

I wouldnt drink the day before however

Bean83

It takes about an hour for your body to get rid of one unit of alcohol, so the alcohol from a couple of beers should be gone by the next morning. He could have the odd drink on Sunday night and in theory he should be fine for Monday (I wouldn't recommend this though, just in case!). If he stays alcohol free over the weekend he will be fine for Monday, every trace of alcohol will have gone from his bloodstream (I imagine they will give him a blood test for the alcohol, don't know about the drug test).

A bit more info can be found on the NHS pages (just Google 'how long does alcohol stay in the blood?' and it's the first link - I can't post links as I'm a newbie )

Fluff15

I work for a company what works on the railways, so D&A testing is mandatory. If it's a similar role, it will be a wee in a pot thing. The alcohol is fine as long as he isn't an alcoholic and isn't drinking heavily all the time. It will only pick up what is in his urine if it's still being broken down by his kidneys. So if he occasionally drinks, that's fine. Just tell him not to drink anything the night before! They're put in place to stop people getting bladdered and then turning up for work the next day, as their judgement will still be impaired and will cause a risk to themselves and others.

JemmaM91

Thank you

ValHaller

As mentioned, the railway has a strong drugs and alcohol policy.

A useful page is this http://safety.networkrail.co.uk/commitment-and-rules/drugs-and-alcohol-policy which has links to an employee booklet and the policy itself.

If you study the booklet, it gives enough information on how to stay clear of the railway limits, although I think part of it is that if you cannot calculate your consumption according to their method, you have had too much.