Frank Hovis Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Well if they'd had that in when I worked in the City over half of my company would have been out, including me and all the executive directors! Companies introduce fingerprint test to see if you are still drunk from the night before when you clock on for a day's work AlcoSense TruTouch device gives a pass or fail result in just eight seconds Will catch out employees who still have alcohol in system from night before Public sector staff, transport and security industries likely to be targeted Unions slam draconian tactics as using 'a sledgehammer to crack a nut' Millions of workers could face a daily alcohol test using a fingerprint scanner before they start their jobs. The new device which uses near infra-red light to measure blood alcohol content in the skin will give employers a result in just eight seconds, making it possible to test 450 employees per hour. The AlcoSense TruTouch scanner will be ideal for companies to test if employees still have any alcohol in their system from the night before. Public sector staff in local government and the NHS and workers in the transport and security industries are likely to be the first to be targeted. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2313355/Companies-introduce-fingerprint-test-drunk-starting-days-work.html#ixzz2RJHGb0lM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Whats the threshold going to be? If you've had 1 pint the night before? 2? I can understand those using heavy machinery or driving, but all staff? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 Whats the threshold going to be? If you've had 1 pint the night before? 2? I can understand those using heavy machinery or driving, but all staff? Exactly. I'm always safe to drive but that wouldn't be good enough. Bring on the Methodist / Muslim public sector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Me too Frank! It's different now! I never worked in the "City" BTW, unless that includes Welwyn? Even the railway companies make sure the staff aren't pissed before they take a train out! 30 years ago that was not the case! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 i cant believe the unions will allow it. it makes sence in certian types of work, but not for all. they wont target class A drugs, as the powers that be like them too much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 Me too Frank! It's different now! I never worked in the "City" BTW, unless that includes Welwyn? Even the railway companies make sure the staff aren't pissed before they take a train out! 30 years ago that was not the case! I meant Welwyn Mr Pin! What about insomniacs, people with concentration problems, issues at home, and most telling of all: illegal drugs. All very hard to develop a test for so let's just go after the drinkers again. It's heroin and coke speedballs for me from now on, I'm not risking losing my job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 ..aren't there certain jobs that write into the contract, that employees aren't allowed to drink - at all? I'm sure a friend of mine worked for a software company that forbid workers from smoking - even at home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTMark Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 When you two say "Welwyn", did you work for Tesco.com, too? Spooky... Surely employers already have various statutes and rules about performance. Which apply regardless of the reason. So if you're basically useless due to being slightly p****ed the morning after, I don't see how this is vastly different from being useless for any other reason that is not easily tested. Unless your job requires some sort of co-ordination skills like driving, in which case, I think this is reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted April 24, 2013 Author Share Posted April 24, 2013 ..aren't there certain jobs that write into the contract, that employees aren't allowed to drink - at all? I'm sure a friend of mine worked for a software company that forbid workers from smoking - even at home! IIRC NHS uniformed workers can be disciplined from smoking in uniform even at home, but I've not heard of this elsewhere. When you two say "Welwyn", did you work for Tesco.com, too? Spooky... Surely employers already have various statutes and rules about performance. Which apply regardless of the reason. So if you're basically useless due to being slightly p****ed the morning after, I don't see how this is vastly different from being useless for any other reason that is not easily tested. Unless your job requires some sort of co-ordination skills like driving, in which case, I think this is reasonable. Reasonable on that basis but employers in my experience extend things that only really apply to certain people they need to keep an eye to everybody else "to be fair". One company wanted to keep an eye on certain employees who they didn't trust so put trackers in their vans but also put trackers in the vans of all the decent workers "to be fair". Result being everybody feels under surveillance because management won't deal effectively with skivers or, in your example, people who clearly have a drink problem that is affecting their work. Sorry not worked in Welwyn like Mr Pin. Not actually been there as far as I can remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corevalue Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Presumably the (dis)honourable members of the house of commons will be among the early adopters. On reflection though, wasn't Winston Churchill well known for turning up "tired and emotional"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
interestrateripoff Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 I worked with someone who frequently turned up smelling like a brewery as the had got in a 4am.... Turned up for work at 8am. No need to test them if they where over the limit, they looked it and smelt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiveinHope Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Worked alongside someone once who used to drink fair quantities of 99.5% ethanol from 2.5l Winchesters. A bizarre period in my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffy666 Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 I worked with someone who frequently turned up smelling like a brewery as the had got in a 4am.... Turned up for work at 8am. No need to test them if they where over the limit, they looked it and smelt it. I worked with someone who chased the dragon. At lunchtime. Before driving a fork lift truck in a solvents factory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19 year mortgage 8itch Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 What's ok? Mandatory testing every time you work? Random sampling of the workforce? 50% a year? 25%? 10%? 5%? No testing at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 What's ok? Mandatory testing every time you work? Random sampling of the workforce? 50% a year? 25%? 10%? 5%? No testing at all? it aldepends on the job, IMO. testing every day if you are just a secretary is pointless, but if your a train drive then yes. but to me its not just the testing, its the accpetable limit. most jobs you'll be fine for if you can legally drive to the job. but some will require you to be 100% T-total. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 it aldepends on the job, IMO. testing every day if you are just a secretary is pointless, but if your a train drive then yes. but to me its not just the testing, its the accpetable limit. most jobs you'll be fine for if you can legally drive to the job. but some will require you to be 100% T-total. would this include testing for certain medicines too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 To put some perspective on this, when I worked in the mining sector (Oz) it would take 4-5 cans of ordinary piss ( a apt name for Aussie beer) drunk between 7and 10pm to get the breatho test to register a miniscule reading at 5am. A I did the breatho tests I did this experiment in the interests of research So assuming similar sensitivity you could drink 4-5 pints of a evening and not likely trigger a positive reading at 8am the next day. Tip - fructose speeds up alcohol metabolism Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 To put some perspective on this, when I worked in the mining sector (Oz) it would take 4-5 cans of ordinary piss ( a apt name for Aussie beer) drunk between 7and 10pm to get the breatho test to register a miniscule reading at 5am. A I did the breatho tests I did this experiment in the interests of research So assuming similar sensitivity you could drink 4-5 pints of a evening and not likely trigger a positive reading at 8am the next day. Tip - fructose speeds up alcohol metabolism Depends if there would be a threshold set (say, such as the UK drink driving level), or whether it will detect to see if there are any trace elements in the blood? - which I suppose would be a level of "zero tolerance"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Depends if there would be a threshold set (say, such as the UK drink driving level), or whether it will detect to see if there are any trace elements in the blood? - which I suppose would be a level of "zero tolerance"... The meter I had measured down to 10 microgramme of alcohol per litre of breath (Oz and UK DD limit is 350). In the scenario I describe after 4 cans at 7-10pm at 5am I would typically read 10-20 microgrammes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendy Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 The meter I had measured down to 10 microgramme of alcohol per litre of breath (Oz and UK DD limit is 350). In the scenario I describe after 4 cans at 7-10pm at 5am I would typically read 10-20 microgrammes Great - just buy some ethanol mouthwash and all is explained why your eyes are bloodshot and you can't walk straight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffy666 Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 What's ok? Mandatory testing every time you work? Random sampling of the workforce? 50% a year? 25%? 10%? 5%? No testing at all? Those involved in dangerous occupations, handling significant amounts of other people's money, senior executives and, of course, politicians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eight Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 To put some perspective on this, when I worked in the mining sector (Oz) it would take 4-5 cans of ordinary piss ( a apt name for Aussie beer) drunk between 7and 10pm to get the breatho test to register a miniscule reading at 5am. A I did the breatho tests I did this experiment in the interests of research So assuming similar sensitivity you could drink 4-5 pints of a evening and not likely trigger a positive reading at 8am the next day. Tip - fructose speeds up alcohol metabolism Hahaha "the breatho" - how very Australian. You are Alf Stewart off Home and Away and I claim my five flamin' gallahs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy_renting Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Presumably the (dis)honourable members of the house of commons will be among the early adopters. On reflection though, wasn't Winston Churchill well known for turning up "tired and emotional"? The expression 'tired and emotional' was first applied to dipsomaniac Labour Government Minister George Brown back in the 1960's , I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy_renting Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 The UK licencing laws were introduced during WWI, due to concerns about the sobriety workers in munitions workers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corevalue Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 The expression 'tired and emotional' was first applied to dipsomaniac Labour Government Minister George Brown back in the 1960's , I believe. Yes. Was it Private Eye who coined the phrase? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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