Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Workplace drug testing in Europe.

A G Verstraete¹, A Pierce

¹Laboratory of Clinical Biology-Toxicology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

Forensic Science International

|August 23, 2001

Summary

Workplace drug testing (WDT) in Europe lacks standardized guidelines and legislation, leading to inconsistent practices. The European Workplace Drug Testing Society (EWDTS) aims to improve quality and legal security for WDT across Europe.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Exploring the impact of baseline and on-treatment variables on durability of responses to fostemsavir through weeks 96 and 192 in the phase 3 BRIGHTE study.

HIV medicine·2025

Same author

Saturable elimination of piperacillin in critically ill patients: implications for continuous infusion.

International journal of antimicrobial agents·2019

Same author

The cost of implanting a cemented <i>versus</i> cementless total knee arthroplasty.

The bone & joint journal·2019

Same author

Measuring antibiotics in exhaled air in critically ill, non-ventilated patients: A feasibility and proof of concept study.

Journal of critical care·2019

Same author

Persistence of piperacillin concentrations after treatment discontinuation: in cauda venenum?

Intensive care medicine·2018

Same author

Proteomic analysis of JAK2V617F-induced changes identifies potential new combinatorial therapeutic approaches.

Leukemia·2017

Area of Science:

Occupational Health
Forensic Toxicology
European Public Policy

Background:

Workplace drug testing (WDT) in Europe is underdeveloped, lacking specific legislation and widely accepted guidelines.
Current practices often involve on-site testing by occupational physicians with minimal quality control, confirmation, chain of custody, or adulteration testing.
While increasing in some regions like the UK and Scandinavia, WDT is less prevalent in Europe compared to the USA.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the current state of workplace drug testing in Europe.
To introduce the European Workplace Drug Testing Society (EWDTS) and its objectives.
To identify challenges and propose future directions for establishing WDT in Europe.

Main Methods:

Review of existing information on WDT practices in Europe.
Description of the formation and aims of the EWDTS.
Discussion of UK laboratory guidelines for legally defensible WDT.

Main Results:

Cannabis is the most frequently detected drug in WDT.
Positive test rates appear to decrease over time after WDT implementation.
The EWDTS is working towards establishing quality and legal standards for WDT in Europe.

Conclusions:

Standardization of WDT in Europe requires significant effort, focusing on laboratory result confidence, legal status, employee rights, and cost-effectiveness.
The EWDTS and collaborative efforts between countries are crucial for developing common guidelines.
Balancing strict standards with flexibility is key to adapting WDT to evolving needs.

Related Experiment Videos