1 million employees go to work place in Britain `drugged`
London: More than a million people in Britain go to work
with drugs still in their system, a study suggests. Figures from a drug-testing
firm have revealed that around one in 30 employees tested at work last year had
taken narcotics, with the most commonly-used drugs being cannabis, opiates and
cocaine, the Daily Mail reported. Drug-use among employees was up 43 per cent
from 2007, rising to 3.23 per cent of the workforce last year. The most
senior police officer told employers earlier this year to consider introducing
compulsory regular drug- testing as a condition of employment. Bernard Hogan-Howe,
the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said many affluent workers are working
in roles, including surgeons, teachers and drivers, where cocaine use risks lives.
The latest figures come from an analysis of 1.7 million tests carried out by the
company Concateno for 856 UK employers, including public transport firms, freight
hauliers and the emergency services. “These are conservative figures when you
consider how many companies do not have a screening programme in place,” laboratory
director, Dr Claire George, said. The latest study found the most likely age group
to test positive for Class A drugs were 25 to 34-year-olds – not the under-25s
– as they were likely to have more access to disposable income.
