Kings Place 90 York Way London N1 9AG

Dont let drink or drugs cost you your job

DRUGS & ALCOHOLGuidance for employees

Did you know?

Limits

NetworkRailhasazerotolerancepolicyonthemisuseofdrugsandalcoholbyemployees

Illegaldrugsandotherdrugsofabusearecompletelybanned.(Drugsof abuseincludeallillegaldrugsaswell asprescriptionmedicationthatis usedimproperly)

Ourlimitonalcoholismuchtougherthanthedrink-drivelimit

Testing

Drugandalcoholtestingtakesplace atroutine(age-related)medicals

AllemployeesinsafetycriticalworkpostsandholdersofPersonalTrackSafety(PTS)cardsaresubjecttorandomdrugandalcoholtesting

Anyemployeemayberequiredtoundergodrugandalcoholtestingifhe/she

isinvolvedinanaccidentor seriousincidentatwork,or

appearstobeunfitthroughdrugs oralcohol

Newemployeesmustcompleteapersonaldeclarationondrugandalcoholuse

NewentrantstopostswhicheitherrequireaPTScardoraredesignatedsafetycriticalworkpostswillundergodrugandalcoholtesting

Read on for more details.

Network Rail takes its responsibilities for the safety and welfare of its employees very seriously.

Inreturnweexpectouremployeestobehaveresponsiblytoo.Ourattitudetoalcoholanddrugsisanimportantpartofthis.

NetworkRailsDrugsandAlcoholpolicyhasrecentlybeensimplifiedandreissued,withhelpfromthetradesunions,establishingclearprocedurestosupportit.Thisbookletisdesignedasguidanceandeducationtohelpyouunderstandthepolicy.

Itisacriminaloffencetobeunfitthroughdrugsoralcohol whiledoingworkthatisdesignatedassafetycritical,butourpolicygoesevenfurther.Webelievedrugandalcoholmisuse isunacceptableunderanywork-relatedcircumstances.Therefore,wehaveazerotoleranceapproachtoanymisusewhichwemonitorwithregulardrugandalcoholtestingandstrictdisciplinaryaction.

It is your responsibility to understand our policy. Ignoranceisnodefence.

Pleasetakeafewminutestoreadthisbookletandunderstandwhatthepolicymeansforyou.Someofitscontentsmaysurpriseyou.

Iain Coucher ChiefExecutive

Introduction

3

Thebottomline

Network Rails limit is29mgalcohol per100mlblood

The drink-drive limitis80mgalcohol per100mlblood

54

Agreetotakeadrugsandalcoholtestifasked

Tellyourmanageraboutanydrugoralcohol-relatedproblemyouhaveorthink youmaybedeveloping

Tellyoursupervisor,managerorHRmanageraboutanyprescriptionoroverthecountermedicationyouaretakingwhichcouldaffectyourabilitytoworksafely

Failure to comply is a breach of the policy and will normally result in disciplinary action being taken against you.

It applies to all employees, including those on part-time or temporary contracts, consultants, agency and other people working for or on behalf of Network Rail, including all PTS card holders.

You mustnot: Startworkifyouhaveconsumedalcoholinthepreviousfewhours

Cometoworkinanunfitstateasaresultofconsuming alcoholortakinganydrug

Possessorsupplyanyillegaldrugorotherdrugofabuseintheworkplace orwhileatwork

Consumealcoholortakeanyillegaldrugorotherdrugofabusein theworkplaceorwhileatwork

Discontinueanagreedcourseoftreatmentforadrugsoralcoholrelated problemwithoutgoodreason

You must:

Youareconsideredunfitthroughalcoholandinbreachofthepolicyifyouhave

Morethan29milligramsofalcohol per100mlofblood or Morethan13microgramsofalcohol in100mlofbreath or Morethan39milligramsofalcohol in100mlofurine

Thisusuallyequatestodrinkingless than 1.5 unitsofalcohol.

Ifyouarenotatworkandarecalledinunexpectedly,you should not goifyouhaverecentlyconsumedalcoholyou are not exemptfromthealcoholanddrugspolicy.

Remember,you are responsiblefor theamountofalcoholinyourbody.

Theonly safe alcohol limitis zero

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How many units of alcohol am I drinking?

Youmaybesurprised.

Halfapintofnormalbeer(like John Smiths, Fosters or Guinness) contains around1.14units

Amediumsizedglassofwinecontainsaround2.3units

Soevenifyouonlyhaveacoupleofpints,youareconsumingmorethan4.5units. Thatisprobablymore than you thought.Youmayalsobesurprisedathowslowly youeliminatealcoholfromyourbody(see page 11). Somedrinksdisplayhowmanyunitstheycontainonthelabel.

How to calculate how many units you are drinking

1 Checkthestrengthofyourdrinkbypercentageofalcoholbyvolume(%ABV)

Drink Example Alcohol content (%ABV)

Alcohol-free beer/lager/cider Kaliber Less than 0.1%

Low alcohol beer/lager/cider Swan Light 0.5-1%

Standard strength beer/lager/cider Fosters, John Smiths, Guinness, Strongbow 3-4.5%

Premium strength beer/lager/cider Stella Artois, Old Speckled Hen, Scrumpy Jack 5-6%

Alcopops Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breezer 5-6%

Super strength beer/lager/cider Carlsberg Special Brew, Diamond White 7-11%

Wine House red/white 11-13%

Fortified wines Harveys Bristol Cream, Port 16-27%

Spirit based drinks Baileys, Malibu, Archers 17-23%

Spirits Gordons, Bells, Smirnoff, Bacardi etc. 37.5-40%

2 Multiplythisfigurebythevolumeofdrinkinmillilitres(ml)

3 Dividetheresultingnumberby1,000

For example

Apint(568ml)ofJohnSmithsbitter (4.0%ABV)has2.27unitsofalcohol.

4.0 x 568 1,000

Aglass(175ml)ofatypicalredwine (13%ABV)has4.88unitsofalcohol.

13 x 175 1,000= 2.27 = 2.28

Mostdrinksarestronger thanyouthink!

Kalib

er 0.1

%

= 0.04units

John

Smith

s 4.0%

= 1.76units

Baca

rdi B

reeze

r 5.0%

= 1.65units

Stell

a 5.2%

= 1.72units

Spec

ial B

rew 9.

0%

= 3.96units

Glass

of W

ine 13

%

= 2.28units

Shot

of Ba

ileys

17%

= 0.43units

Shot

of Gin

37.5%

= 0.94units

Shot

of Wh

isky 4

0%

= 1.00units

98

400ml 440ml 330ml 330ml 440ml 175ml 25ml 25ml 25ml

Ingeneral,meneliminatealcoholfromtheirbodiesmorequicklythanwomen.Additionaltotimetherearemanyvariablestoconsiderintheeliminationofalcoholfromthebody.Thesewilldependonbodysize,sex,age,metabolism,thequantityofalcoholconsumedanditsalcoholicvolume.

Acoupleof commonmyths... Ifyouarealargerperson, dont assume you can drink morealcoholandstaywithin definedlimits

Socalledsoberingup remedieslikeblackcoffee, showersandsleephaveno effect whatsoeverontherate atwhichalcoholiseliminated fromyourbody

Thefactsare Ifyoudrinkabottleofredwine (egABV75clat12%),around9units,finishingat23.00hrs,at06.00hrsthenextdayyouwillstillhaveatleasttwounitsofalcoholinyourblood,whichisover the Network Rail limit IfyoudrinksixpintsofStellaArtoisat5%(nearly18units)inthecourseofaneveningfinishingat23.00hrs,youwillprobablybeovertheNetworkRaillimitforanearlyshiftandcouldstillbeoverbylunchtimethenextday.

Itdoesntmatterhow

you areBIg

How long does a unit stay in the body?

hours

109876543210

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

unit

s of

alc

ohol

4pintsofstandardstrengthlager(3.5%ABV)containing8unitsofalcohol.

male

female

1110

Illegal and legal drugs are both covered

NetworkRailtotally banstheuse,possession,consumption,storageandsaleofdrugs ofabuseonanyNetworkRailcontrolledpremises

Drugs of abuse include all illegal drugs and substances such as cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin etc. and all substances that may be legal but are subject to abuse, such as glues and solvents (except where they are required for work and subject to a Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) assessment)

Youmustnotcometoworkorundertakeanyworkinanunfitstatethroughdrugs;thisincludesalldrugs,illegaldrugsandsubstancesofabuse,drugswherethereisnolegitimatemedicalreasonforuseandcertainprescription or over the counter medication.Ifyouareinanydoubt,askyourdoctororpharmacist,supervisorormanager.

Youshouldtellyourdoctor,dentistorpharmacistaboutyourworkandtheNetworkRaildrugspolicywhenbeingprescribedorbuyingmedication

Youmustadviseyoursupervisorormanagerofanymedicationthatyouhavebeen givenoraretakingwhichcouldaffectyourabilitytoworksafely

Moderndrugtestscantellthedifferencebetweenpassiveandactivesmoking ofcannabis,soclaimingthatyouhaveaccidentallyinhaleditwill not be accepted asanexplanationforapositivetest

Moderndrugtestingcanidentifythatmaskingagentshavebeenusedtohideillegaldrugs

Somedrugscanstayinyoursystemforaslongasthreemonths

Drugs and workdontmix

What does unfit through drugs mean?

Itmeanshavingtakenorhadadministeredeitheradosageofanydrugthatcouldaffectapersonsabilitytoworksafely,oroneormoredrugs,includingbutnotlimitedto,anyofthefollowing:

Amphetamines Benzodiazepines Cannabis Cocaine MDMA(ecstasy) Methadone Opiates Propoxyphene

Theonlyexceptioniswhenthelevelofthedrugdetectedisconsistentwithamedicinaldoseandyou have declared prior to testingthatyouhavetakenmedicationthatcontainsthisdrug.

1312

15

Itisyourresponsibilitytofindoutabouttheeffectsofanymedicationyoutakeandtotellyoursupervisorormanageriftheycouldaffectyourabilitytoworksafely.Ifyouarenotabsolutelysureabouttheeffectsofyourmedication,readthelabel,askyourdoctororpharmacist,checktheChemistonCallwebsiteand/oraskyour HRmanager.

DontassumethatyourordinaryprescriptionoroverthecounterdrugsareOK.Manymayaffectyourabilitytoworksafely,includingfamiliarnameslikeNightNurse.

Ifyouareselectedfordrugstesting,youmustgivethetesterdetailsofanymedicationyouhavetaken,howevertrivialitmayseem,beforethetestiscarriedout.Yourmedicinecouldrestrictyour

abilitytoworksafely

HowdoIknowwhats safetotake?Be

AwareSomemedicationcanhinderyourworkperformanceandyourabilityto carryoutworksafely,forexamplesome:

Anti-depressants

Coldandfluremedies

Hayfeverremediesandother anti-histamines

Painkillers

Sleepingpills

Tranquillisers

15 14

How do the tests work?

Weuseapprovedtestingproviderswhocollectandanalyseabreathalyser and/orscreeningsample.

Specimensarecollectedusingastrictchainofcustodyprocedure.Thisprotects yoursafety,health,confidentialityanddignityandisfully defendable in a court of law.

Beforeyoursampleistakenyouwillbegiventheopportunitytodeclaretothetestingprovideranymedicationyoumayhavetaken.Ifyoudonotdeclaremedicationatthisstage it cannot be taken into account in the test.

Youwillbenotifiedofthetestresult,includingdetailsofanypositiveresult,andgiven acopyofthecertification.

Refusal to take a test will be treated as a positive result.

Am I likely to be tested?

AllNetworkRailemployeesarepotentiallysubjecttotesting.

Existing employees

Whoareinvolvedinaccidentsorseriousincidentsatwork

Whosebehaviourgivescauseforconcern

Whoaretransferringtosafetycriticalworkpostsortopostswhichrequire PTScertification,throughpre-appointmenttesting

Throughroutine(age-related)medicalexaminations

ThroughrandomtestingofsafetycriticalworkersandPTSholders

Potentialemployees

Throughpre-employmentbriefing,self-declarationandtesting

We test regularly for alcohol and drugs

1716

For cause testing

Forcausetestingmeansthatatestcantakeplaceatanytimewhileyouareatwork. Itwilltakeplaceif:

Youareinvolvedinanaccidentorseriousincidentatwork

Yourmanagerorsupervisorbelievesyour actions or behaviourgive reasonablegroundstobelievethatyouareunfitthroughalcoholordrugs

AnyoneemployedorcontractedbyNetworkRailcanbetested.

Ifyouaretestedforcause,youwillbereleasedfromdutyuntilthetestresultisknown.

Ifyouarehospitalisedasaresultofanaccidentorincidentatworkyouwillonlybesubjecttoforcausetestingwiththeconsentofthemedicalpractitionerinchargeofyourcase.

Random testing

EachyearNetworkRailcarriesoutrandomdrugsandalcoholtestingonapercentage ofemployeeswithPTScardsorinsafetycriticalworkposts.Thepercentagetobetested inanygivenyearisbasedonrisk.

Randomdrugandalcoholtestingcouldtakeplaceatanytimewhileyouare atwork.Normally you will not be notifiedthatyouhavebeenselectedfortesting untiljustbeforethetest.

Refusal to take a test will be treated as a positive result.

When and how dowetest? Whathappens ifItestpositive?

Can I appeal against a positive result?

Youmayonlyappealonthegroundsthat:

Youbelievethetestresulttobeincorrect or

Youcandemonstratethatyouwerenotawareatthetimeofthetest thatyouhadconsumeddrugsoralcohol

Ifyouwishtoappealyoumusttellyoursupervisor,linemanagerorHRmanagerinwritingwithin90daysoftheoriginaltestdate.

What to expect

Ifyoutestpositive,youcanexpecttoloseyourjob.Inaddition,youwillnotbeallowedtodoanyworkontherailwaythatissafetycriticalorrequiresyoutoholdaPTScardforatleastfiveyears.

1918

It is a criminal offence under Section 27 of the Transport and Works Act 1992 to undertake safety critical work while unfit to do so through alcohol or drugs, so you may also be subject to for cause testing by a police officer.

Aconviction foracriminal offenceof thisnature mayresultinIMPRISONMENT

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Dont be afraid to ask

Ifyouthinkyouhaveormaybedevelopingadrugsoralcoholproblem,get help immediately.Tellyoursupervisor,managerorHRmanagerwhocansupportyou througharehabilitationprogrammethatispartofthemanagingforhealthprocess andwhocanreferyoutoourcounsellingserviceforconfidentialsupportand, ifnecessary,offerhelptoyourfamilyalso.

Ifyoudontgethelpandsubsequentlyfailadrugsoralcoholtest,yourdependency cannotbetakenintoaccountandwewillnotbeabletoprovideyouwithsupport orcounselling.

It will be too late if you:

Areinvolvedinanaccidentorincidentatwork Arecalledforatest Failadrugsoralcoholtest

Ifyouhaveconcernsaboutacolleague,tellyoursupervisor,manager,orHRmanager. Theywilltreatyourreportinconfidenceandwillmakearrangementstodiscussthe matterwithyourcolleague.

HowcanIgethelp?

22

Dont let drink or drugs cost you your job

Useful contactsAlcoholics Anonymous24-hourhelpline08457697555

Frank about drugsFreeconfidentialdrugsinformation andadvicehelpline0800776600 www.talktofrank.com

BBC HealthEasytousewebsitewithlinksto usefularticlesonhealthanddrugissues: www.bbc.co.uk/health

ALSO:www.drinkaware.co.ukwww.bupa.com