Despite claims from drugs testing companies there is no real evidence that drug testing is becoming common place in british workplaces it is mainly used often with union agreement in safety critical areas such as transport and energy generation there is also increased usage in the construction industry however generally where wide scale drug testing has been considered it has been rejected either because of cost or doubts over the effectiveness. When proper informed consent procedures are followed workplace drug testing acts as a deterrent to people who might otherwise experiment with or regularly use alcohol or drugs workplace drug testing has the potential to greatly enhance health and safety in the workplace testing discourages people from abusing substances and thereby suffering any ill health effects and reducing the likelihood of accidents and injuries related to working under the influence. Workplace drug testing weighing the pros and cons send cancel close hr daily newsletter news trends and analysis as well as breaking news alerts to help hr professionals do their jobs better . Although state laws vary in most states it is legal to test employees for drugs following a workplace accident because your employer may be held liable for injuries or damage caused as a result of your accident at work the law allows the employer to drug test you to find out if the accident was a result of your prohibited conduct thereby protecting the employer from liability however employers must establish a reasonable procedure that allows for employees to report work related