Did You Know…
Every year, 1.7 Billion people travel by rail
Given the scale of the rail industry, the misuse of drugs and alcohol pose a significant risk and could have a detrimental effect on employees as well as the general public. That’s why under the Transport & Work Act 1992, people employed in safety critical roles or who are PTS (Personal Track Safety) card holders within the UK rail industry must be free from the effects of alcohol or drugs whilst at work. To adhere to this UK rail providers perform drug and alcohol testing in line with their company policies, on their employees, contractors and other visitors to site.
There are defined drug and alcohol profiles/limits across Network Rail and London Underground, as outlined in more detail below. Other organisations within the UK rail industry define their own testing procedures and protocols.
If you work for either Network Rail or London Underground as an employee or subcontractor you must produce a negative pre-employment drug and alcohol test before you can begin work. There are heavy penalties if an employee produces a positive drugs and alcohol test. This can include the employee:
- Having their PTS card revoked.
- Having their sentinel card revoked.
- Facing a ban from working in any role requiring a PTS / Sentinel card for up to 5 years.
- Alongside this, random and For Cause testing is also performed.
Why SYNLAB Laboratory Services?
At SYNLAB Laboratory Services, we’re committed to supporting businesses with their commitment to safe working practices. We have over 30 years’ experience working with customers large and small to protect their people, business and the general public.
SYNLAB Laboratory Services operates RISQS approved chain of custody methods throughout the UK for workplace drug and alcohol testing sample collections.
If you would like to learn more about our end to end services, take a look at our services or contact us.
References: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/passengers/
