An Australian union body has welcomed a new report by a federal government agency that concludes workplace drug and alcohol tests are of little use. Brian Boyd, secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC), said the report’s finding that “the advantages of implementing testing regimes for the general working population could be quite minimal” is “an overdue piece of commonsense research”.

The report comes after an Australian employers’ association this year announced it wanted to be “free to attack drug use,” a stance described by VTHC as “feudal”. Brian Boyd said: “If employers really want to make positive improvements to workplace health and safety, they should be adopting the Charter of Workers Rights for OHS and Compensation, encouraging the election of more OHS reps, fixing up their own back yard and forgetting about John Howard’s harsh and unfair industrial laws.”

The report from the Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC) found there is little clear evidence on the links between drug use and absenteeism, low productivity, poor performance and accidents at work.

It added: “The implications of consumption patterns, the timing of the consumption and the effects of withdrawal also need to be considered in any decision to implement an alcohol and illicit drug testing regime. The advantages of implementing testing regimes for the general working population could be quite minimal.”

VTHC news release, 8 June 2007 • ASCC publication alert
Work-related alcohol and drug use - A fit for work issue, ASCC, June 2007. Full report [pdf] and executive summary [pdf]
Hazards drugs and alcohol news and resources.