Two-thirds of bosses support drug tests

Random testing is set to soar in the workplace with one in 10 bosses planning to screen staff for drugs and alcohol, says a report published tomorrow.

Random testing is set to soar in the workplace with one in 10 bosses planning to screen staff for drugs and alcohol, says a report published tomorrow.

More than two-thirds of employers interviewed by Mori researchers said they would test the urine of unproductive workers. Half said random testing should be introduced across the entire British workforce, and not limited to transport workers and the armed forces.

The findings form part of the most comprehensive inquiry ever carried out into drug testing. The subsequent report is expected to call for a clampdown on workplace testing and proper regulation of the laboratories profiting from the drink and drug problems of staff.

The Independent Inquiry into Drug Testing at Work has spent 18 months gathering evidence from businesses, workers, legal experts, police officers and trade unions.

The latest figures from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development show that 18 per cent of businesses reported that their staff had used illegal drugs in 2000. Last week, British Airways announced the introduction of drug and alcohol testing for all its 47,000 staff. The on-the-spot testing, which will begin this August, is believed to be the first by a European airline.

Last week, this paper reported on a "secret" two-minute drug test in use in schools and workplaces.