Dont let drink

or drugs cost
you your job

Kings Place
90 York Way
London N1 9AG

DRUGS & ALCOHOL

Guidance for employees

The
bottom line
Introduction

Did you know?

Network Rail takes its responsibilities for the safety

and welfare of its employees very seriously.

Limits

In return we expect our employees to behave responsibly too.

Our attitude to alcohol and drugs is an important part of this.

N
 etwork Rail has a zero tolerance policy
on the misuse of drugs and alcohol by
employees

Network Rails Drugs and Alcohol policy has recently been

simplified and reissued, with help from the trades unions,
establishing clear procedures to support it. This booklet is
designed as guidance and education to help you understand
the policy.

Illegal drugs and other drugs of abuse

are completely banned. (Drugs of
abuse include all illegal drugs as well
as prescription medication that is
used improperly)

It is a criminal offence to be unfit through drugs or alcohol

while doing work that is designated as safety critical, but our
policy goes even further. We believe drug and alcohol misuse
is unacceptable under any work-related circumstances.
Therefore, we have a zero tolerance approach to any misuse
which we monitor with regular drug and alcohol testing and
strict disciplinary action.

O
 ur limit on alcohol is much tougher
than the drink-drive limit

It is your responsibility to understand our policy.

Ignorance is no defence.
Please take a few minutes to read this booklet and understand
what the policy means for you. Some of its contents may
surprise you.

Iain Coucher
Chief Executive

The drink-drive
limit is 80mg alcohol
per 100ml blood

Testing
D
 rug and alcohol testing takes place
at routine (age-related) medicals
A
 ll employees in safety critical work
posts and holders of Personal Track
Safety (PTS) cards are subject to
random drug and alcohol testing
A
 ny employee may be required to
undergo drug and alcohol testing if he/
she

is involved in an accident or

serious incident at work, or

a
 ppears to be unfit through drugs
or alcohol

N
 ew employees must complete a
personal declaration on drug and
alcohol use
N
 ew entrants to posts which either
require a PTS card or are designated
safety critical work posts will undergo
drug and alcohol testing
Read on for more details.

Network Rails
limit is 29mg alcohol
per 100ml blood

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 must not:

You must:

Start work if you have consumed alcohol in the previous few hours

Agree to take a drugs and alcohol test if asked

Come to work in an unfit state as a result of consuming

alcohol or taking any drug

Tell your manager about any drug or alcohol-related problem you have or think
you may be developing

Possess or supply any illegal drug or other drug of abuse in the workplace
or while at work

T
 ell your supervisor, manager or HR manager about any prescription or over the counter
medication you are taking which could affect your ability to work safely

Consume alcohol or take any illegal drug or other drug of abuse in

the workplace or while at work
D
 iscontinue an agreed course of treatment for a drugs or alcohol related
problem without good reason

Failure to comply is a breach of the policy and will normally

result in disciplinary action being taken against you.

The only

safe

alcohol
limit is

zero

You are considered unfit through alcohol

and in breach of the policy if you have

More than 29 milligrams of alcohol

per 100ml of blood
or
More than 13 micrograms of alcohol
in 100ml of breath
or
More than 39 milligrams of alcohol
in 100ml of urine

This usually equates to drinking less

than 1.5 units of alcohol.
If you are not at work and are called in
unexpectedly, you should not go if you have
recently consumed alcohol you are not
exempt from the alcohol and drugs policy.
Remember, you are responsible for
the amount of alcohol in your body.

How many units of alcohol am I drinking?

You may be surprised.
Half a pint of normal beer (like John Smiths, Fosters or Guinness) contains
around 1.14 units
A medium sized glass of wine contains around 2.3 units
So even if you only have a couple of pints, you are consuming more than 4.5 units.
That is probably more than you thought. You may also be surprised at how slowly
you eliminate alcohol from your body (see page 11). Some drinks display how many units
they contain on the label.

Most drinks are stronger

than you think!

440ml

330ml

330ml

440ml

175ml

25ml

25ml

25ml

Check the strength of your drink by percentage of alcohol by volume (%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%

Multiply this figure by the volume of drink in millilitres (ml)

Divide the resulting number by 1,000

0.

04aliber
un 0.1%
Jo
it
= hn S
1.7 mi s
6 ths 4
Ba
un .0%
ca
r
= di Br its
1.6 ee
5 zer 5
un .0%
=
1.7 Ste its
2 lla 5
Sp
un .2%
= ecia
3. l Br its
96 ew
9
Gla un .0%
= ss o its
2. f W
28 ine
un 13%
Sh
its
o
= t of
0. Bai
43 ley
un s 17%
Sh
its
= ot o
0. f G
94 in 3
un 7.5%
Sh
its
ot
= of W
1.0 hi
0 sky 4
un 0%
its

400ml

How to calculate how many units you are drinking

For example
A pint (568ml) of John Smiths bitter
(4.0% ABV) has 2.27 units of alcohol.

A glass (175ml) of a typical red wine

(13% ABV) has 4.88 units of alcohol.

4.0 x 568
1,000

13 x 175
1,000

= 2.27

= 2.28

10

It doesnt
matter how

11

In general, men eliminate alcohol from their bodies more quickly than women.
Additional to time there are many variables to consider in the elimination of alcohol
from the body. These will depend on body size, sex, age, metabolism, the quantity
of alcohol consumed and its alcoholic volume.

big

If you are a larger person,

dont assume you can drink
more alcohol and stay within
defined limits

So called sobering up
remedies like black coffee,
showers and sleep have no
effect whatsoever on the rate
at which alcohol is eliminated
from your body

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

4 pints of standard strength lager

(3.5%ABV) containing 8 units of alcohol.
male
female

6
7
h ou r s

are

If you
drink a bo
ttle of red
(eg ABV 7
wine
5cl at 12%
), around
9 units, fin
ishing at 2
3.00hrs, a
06.00hrs
t
the next d
ay you will
have at le
still
ast two un
its of alco
in your blo
hol
od, which
is over th
Network
e
Rail limit
If you
drink six p
ints of Ste
at 5% (ne
lla Artois
arly 18 un
its) in the
of an even
course
ing finishin
g at 23.00
you will pro
hrs,
bably be o
ver the
Network R
ail limit for
an early s
and could
hift
still be ove
r by lunch
the next d
time
ay.

How long does a unit stay in the body?

un i ts o f a lc o h o l

you are

The facts

A couple of
common myths...

10

11

12

13

12

13

Drugs and
work dont mix
What does unfit through
drugs mean?

Illegal and legal drugs are both covered

It means having taken or had administered either

a dosage of any drug that could affect a persons
ability to work safely, or one or more drugs,
including but not limited to, any of the following:

N
 etwork Rail totally bans the use, possession, consumption, storage and sale of drugs
of abuse on any Network Rail controlled premises

Amphetamines
Benzodiazepines
Cannabis
Cocaine
MDMA (ecstasy)
Methadone
Opiates
Propoxyphene
The only exception is when the level of the drug
detected is consistent with a medicinal dose and
you have declared prior to testing that you
have taken medication that contains this drug.

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)
Y
 ou must not come to work or undertake any work in an unfit state through drugs; this
includes all drugs, illegal drugs and substances of abuse, drugs where there is no legitimate
medical reason for use and certain prescription or over the counter medication. If you
are in any doubt, ask your doctor or pharmacist, supervisor or manager.
Y
 ou should tell your doctor, dentist or pharmacist about your work and the Network Rail
drugs policy when being prescribed or buying medication
Y
 ou must advise your supervisor or manager of any medication that you have been
given or are taking which could affect your ability to work safely
M
 odern drug tests can tell the difference between passive and active smoking
of cannabis, so claiming that you have accidentally inhaled it will not be accepted
as an explanation for a positive test
Modern drug testing can identify that masking agents have been used to hide illegal drugs
Some drugs can stay in your system for as long as three months

14

15
15

Be
Aware

Your medicine could restrict your

ability to work safely
Some medication can hinder your work performance and your ability to
carry out work safely, for example some:
Anti-depressants

Pain killers

Cold and flu remedies

Sleeping pills

Hay fever remedies and other

anti-histamines

Tranquillisers

How do I know whats

safe to take?
It is your responsibility to find out about the effects of
any medication you take and to tell your supervisor or
manager if they could affect your ability to work safely.
If you are not absolutely sure about the effects of your
medication, read the label, ask your doctor or pharmacist,
check the Chemist on Call website and/or ask your
HR manager.
Dont assume that your ordinary prescription or over the
counter drugs are OK. Many may affect your ability to work
safely, including familiar names like Night Nurse.
If you are selected for drugs testing, you must give the tester
details of any medication you have taken, however trivial it
may seem, before the test is carried out.

16

17

We test
regularly
for alcohol
and drugs
Am I likely to be tested?

How do the tests work?

All Network Rail employees are potentially subject to testing.

We use approved testing providers who collect and analyse a breathalyser

and/or screening sample.

Existing employees

Specimens are collected using a strict chain of custody procedure. This protects
your safety, health, confidentiality and dignity and is fully defendable in a court of law.

Who are involved in accidents or serious incidents at work

Whose behaviour gives cause for concern
Who are transferring to safety critical work posts or to posts which require
PTS certification, through pre-appointment testing
Through routine (age-related) medical examinations
Through random testing of safety critical workers and PTS holders
Potential employees
Through pre-employment briefing, self-declaration and testing

Before your sample is taken you will be given the opportunity to declare to the testing
provider any medication you may have taken. If you do not declare medication at this
stage it cannot be taken into account in the test.
You will be notified of the test result, including details of any positive result, and given
a copy of the certification.
Refusal to take a test will be treated as a positive result.

18

When and how

do we test?

19

What happens
if I test positive?

Random testing

What to expect

Each year Network Rail carries out random drugs and alcohol testing on a percentage
of employees with PTS cards or in safety critical work posts. The percentage to be tested
in any given year is based on risk.

If you test positive, you can expect to lose your job. In addition, you will not
be allowed to do any work on the railway that is safety critical or requires
you to hold a PTS card for at least five years.

Random drug and alcohol testing could take place at any time while you are
at work. Normally you will not be notified that you have been selected for testing
until just before the test.

Can I appeal against a positive result?

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

For cause testing

For cause testing means that a test can take place at any time while you are at work.
It will take place if:
You are involved in an accident or serious incident at work
Y
 our manager or supervisor believes your actions or behaviour give
reasonable grounds to believe that you are unfit through alcohol or drugs
Anyone employed or contracted by Network Rail can be tested.
If you are tested for cause, you will be released from duty until the test result is known.
If you are hospitalised as a result of an accident or incident at work you will only be subject
to for cause testing with the consent of the medical practitioner in charge of your case.

You may only appeal on the grounds that:

Y
 ou believe the test result to be incorrect
or
You can demonstrate that you were not aware at the time of the test
that you had consumed drugs or alcohol
If you wish to appeal you must tell your supervisor, line manager or HR
manager in writing within 90 days of the original test date.

20

21

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.

A conviction
for a criminal
offence of
this nature
may result in
IMPRISONMENT

22

How can I get help?

Dont be afraid to ask
If you think you have or may be developing a drugs or alcohol problem, get help
immediately. Tell your supervisor, manager or HR manager who can support you
through a rehabilitation programme that is part of the managing for health process
and who can refer you to our counselling service for confidential support and,
if necessary, offer help to your family also.
If you dont get help and subsequently fail a drugs or alcohol test, your dependency
cannot be taken into account and we will not be able to provide you with support
or counselling.
It will be too late if you:
Are involved in an accident or incident at work
Are called for a test
Fail a drugs or alcohol test
If you have concerns about a colleague, tell your supervisor, manager, or HR manager.
They will treat your report in confidence and will make arrangements to discuss the
matter with your colleague.

Useful contacts
Alcoholics Anonymous
24-hour helpline 08457 697 555
Frank about drugs
Free confidential drugs information
and advice helpline 0800 77 66 00
www.talktofrank.com
BBC Health
Easy to use website with links to
useful articles on health and drug
issues: www.bbc.co.uk/health
ALSO:
www.drinkaware.co.uk
www.bupa.com

Dont let drink

or drugs cost
you your job