For Cause Screening

Post Incident and “For Cause” screening refers to Drug and Alcohol Screening to find out whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in an incident or accident, where the person(s) actions or omissions are believed to have contributed to the accident or incident, or the behaviour of a person gives cause to suspect that they are unfit to continue work.

Employers are legally obliged to take measures to protect the safety of employees and the general public if they suspect individuals may be unfit to work due to drugs or alcohol misuse (Misuse of Drugs Act 1971).

All employers have a general duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of employees and those working on their behalf.

They also have a duty under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, to assess the risks to the health and safety of their employees.

Rail Industry (RISQS)

The Transport and Works Act 1992 makes it a criminal offence for certain workers to be unfit through drugs and/or alcohol while working on railways, tramways and other guided transport systems. The operators of the transport system would also be guilty of an offence unless they had shown all due diligence in trying to prevent such an offence being committed.

It is compulsory for rail employers to have a “For Cause” agreement in place. This ensures that a 24 hour call out service is in place, should you have a member of staff involved in an incident/accident or near miss, or if they are suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol whilst on duty.