Government 'should clarify work drug detection policies'

The government should make sure drug detection regulations in the workplace are clearly set out, one expert has suggested.

Trades Union Congress general secretary Brendan Barber said that while it is important employers are able to ascertain whether staff members are taking performance-influencing drugs, random testing is not the way to go.

He remarked: "The way to tackle this danger is by having proper policies in place for dealing with drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace."

According to Mr Barber, the level of drug detection in the UK is still far behind that in the US, but with more firms being tempted to introduce such tactics he claimed the government should step in.

The coalition should make sure the legal issues of forcing people to take impromptu examinations are considered carefully.

It was recently revealed that researchers at the Karolinska Institutet are currently exploring the possibility of using liquid chromatography in breathalyser tests to detect drugs.