Railway Sector Approved Supplier
Any allegations of drink and drug abuse in the railway industry are of concern. Train Drivers, Guards, Conductors, Shunters, Signallers, Permanent Way workers and all other Safety Critical staff and their employers are subject to the Transport & Works Act which make it is criminal offence for employees to work under the influence of alcohol or drugs, additionally employers are bound by law to have procedures in place to prevent this from occurring. It is an offence under section 27 of the act for employees to carry out, and for employers to allow employees to carry out safety critical tasks while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This part of the law is enforced by the British Transport Police. Railway Group Standard GE/RT8070 sets out measures for railway operators to control risks caused by the effects of drug and alcohol use.
Network Rail, London Underground and other railway infrastructure owners and operators must adhere to stringent regulations in controlling the risks of alcohol and drugs of abuse. All safety critical workers must produce a negative drug test before they can begin work and it is against the law for employees to carry out this kind of work under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The requirement for employees to give samples for testing is usually dealt with as a term in the employment contract of those working on the rail transport system.
Railway and train operators carry out drug and alcohol testing for selecting or promoting staff to safety critical tasks and after incidents. Random testing is sometimes also undertaken as a deterrent so it is important to have employees available for test, but equally it may defeat the purpose if a warning is given.
The railway sector's Link Up Accreditation scheme for Drug Screening was initially awarded to us in August 2005. Link Up is the UK rail industry supplier qualification scheme which consists of a strict audit to ensure that specific standards for service provision are being observed. The rail industry insists on service providers meeting the link up standards, with health and safety critical issues in this sector. The Railways Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) specify that drug testing laboratories used in their workplace alcohol and drug programme must be UKAS accredited for drug testing. Rail organisations are only permitted to work with suppliers who have been officially accredited via a Proof Link Up Audit. Following our most recent audit the Link UP auditor was particularly impressed with our Collection Officer’s Competency Management System, stating it was “superior”.
ScreenSafe UK is both Link-Up and LUL accredited, which enables all our customers to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of Railway Standard GE/RT8070, Network Rail and London Underground drug and alcohol policy requirements.
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