Browsing: Drugs and alcohol | Page 31

A full Federal Court has emphasised the important role drug and alcohol testing plays in ensuring workplace safety, in rejecting the CFMEU's bid to ban testing on a major Victorian motorway upgrade.

National rail safety law passes in first jurisdiction; Rail protection officer fined for drugs as latest Waterfall report released; Tasmanian asbestos victims paid $3m in six months under no-fault scheme; and Tasmanian and Victorian workplace safety awards open.

Saliva swabs should be "default option" for workplace drug testing, says union; and UK asbestos case gives hope to Australian victims, as James Hardie adds to fund.

In a decision that appears to contradict an earlier ruling, Fair Work Australia has blocked an employer from introducing random on-site urine testing for drugs such as cannabis.

Ambulance Victoria's claim that it would not be in the public interest to reinstate an ambulance driver, who became dependent on methadone after a work injury, has been rejected by a Fair Work Australia full bench.

A worker's appeal against conditions placed on her employment because of her cannabis use has backfired, with the Northern Territory Magistrates Court not only upholding the original conditions, but ordering her to submit to weekly urine tests.

Mining employers have a range of options - under their fatigue and drug-testing policies - for improving workplace health and safety, including banning otherwise legal substances, the Queensland Mines Inspectorate has advised.

Drunk and violent safety manager fails to overturn dismissal; and Regulators issue alerts after explosion deaths and other incidents.

SWA urged to keep non-core drug testing rules out of mining Regulations; Reports on reducing risks of laser printer emissions released; and SafeWork SA investigating manufacturing death.

Fair Work Australia has upheld a mining company's bid to continue testing workers' urine for drugs and alcohol, after it found the reliability of saliva testing was questionable.