A report by Kristian Silva for The Brisbane Times reveals that over the last two years, almost a dozen train drivers and guards working for Queensland Rail have failed workplace drug and alcohol tests.
The Fair Work Commission has dismissed a labour union’s attempt to block a coal exporting facility’s decision to adopt both urine and saliva drug tests for their workplace drug testing programs, and in effect declared that dual testing deters drug use in the workplace better than a single-method regime.
The termination for failing a random drug test of an employee of a company involved in the maintenance and service of baggage carousels at Sydney Airport has been upheld by the Fair Work Commission, says an article written by Tim Greenall for the Madgwicks Lawyers website.
By upholding the termination of employee for positive drug test, the FWC, sitting with a full bench, has effectively dismissed the unfair dismissal claim filed by the employee in question. The commission also stated that the positive test result constituted serious misconduct, and provides a valid reason for the employee’s sacking.
The employee, whose duties included “safety sensitive aviation activities”, maintained he only smoked a single marijuana joint with friends the Saturday before the test, and that it was done while off-work. The FWC, however, pointed to the fact that he showed up for work with cannabis levels above the acceptable threshold, and that was deemed to be “at work” conduct and in violation of the employer’s drug policy.
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Alcohol may be legal, but its effects on anyone who abuses them are sometimes even worse than the effects of using substances deemed illegal by governments. With Australia’s drinking culture, alcoholism is a natural end result, and many alcoholics are actually showing up at work drunk. Being drunk is already an unhealthy thing to be, but showing up at work drunk is far unhealthier. It is downright dangerous. Listed below are the dangers of showing up at work drunk.
Substance misuse in the workplace is a very real problem facing countless employers today. Far too many workers all over the world are showing up for work under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and are causing problems that give employers headaches. So what exactly happens when workers misuse substances in the workplace?
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