It’s been reported that a bus driver from Bristol was unfairly dismissed after traces of cocaine were found in his saliva. He had never taken drugs, he said, and argued that the traces must have transferred from customers’ money to his hands and from there to the swab used for the saliva test. (Apparently banknotes do get contaminated with cocaine.) He also produced the results of a hair follicle test which showed that there had been no drugs in his body in the previous 90 days.
As well as highlighting the potential for alleged misconduct to be explained away - and the need for thoroughness in the disciplinary process - this case will be of interest to employers who rely on drug and alcohol testing at work. Remember that things may not always be what they seem.
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