Workplace drug testing in Europe

Not much information is available on workplace drug testing (WDT) in Europe . There is no specific legislation and there are no generally accepted guid elines. Many companies establish a drug policy with little or no provision, , for drug testing. Often, testing is performed on-site by occupational phy sicians, with little or no quality control, no systematic confirmation of p ositives, no chain of custody and no adulteration testing. In some parts of Europe, e.g. in the United Kingdom and some Scandinavian countries, WDT is increasing in importance, but it is not as widespread as in USA. The most frequently performed tests are amphetamines, cannabinoids, cocaine, opiates and alcohol. The percentage of positives is variable, but seems to decreas e with the years following the introduction of WDT. Cannabis is the drug th at is most frequently found. Recently, the European Workplace Drug Testing Society (EWDTS) was founded, with the aims to ensure that WDT in Europe is performed to a defined qualit y standard and in a legally secured way and to provide an independent forum for all aspects of WDT. A working group in the United Kingdom has recently finalised the United Kin gdom laboratory guidelines for legally defensible WDT and discussions are u nder way with the EWDTS to establish common guidelines. Many efforts will be needed to establish WDT as an accepted part of a compa ny policy on drugs: establishing and maintaining the confidence in the resu lts of the laboratory, establishing the legal status of WDT, preserving the privacy and rights of the employees, proving the cost-effectiveness of WDT in a European context. finding a balance between strict guidelines and eno ugh flexibility to tailor testing to the changing needs. It is hoped that t he exchange of experience between different countries will contribute to re aching these goals. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reser ved.