British
Airways (BA) has launched a new policy under which staff face random drink and
drugs tests.
The
policy began yesterday and means employees can be tested if bosses suspect they
are under the influence while on duty or if drink or drugs are linked to
workplace accidents. Workers also face random tests during the first six months
of employment.
Geoff
Want, BA’s director of safety, security and risk management, said that testing
was common in other ‘safety-critical’ industries, such as rail, chemical and
nuclear sectors.
“Testing
reinforces our absolute commitment to safety, which is our number one
priority”, he said.
Ground
staff will be restricted to the drink-drive limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml
blood and flight staff 20mg per 100ml.
