Tests at the workplace

An employer may ask you for a drug test certificate when recruiting for work that demands precisely specified abilities, but may only do so if you have been provisionally selected for the position. The employer may then turn down your application if you fail to provide the certificate or if the test result is positive.

An employer may ask for a drug test certificate during your employment in certain duties specified by law if there are justified grounds for suspecting that you are under the influence of drugs at work, or that you are addicted to drugs. A drug test may only be conducted by a health care professional.

Workplaces where tests are done must also have a substance abuse programme, and this must also include preventative measures.

An employer may require you to undergo an assessment of personality and aptitude at the recruitment stage. Aptitude tests may also be used during employment, for example when your duties change.

Your consent to an aptitude test is always required. Such tests must use reliable methods and specialists, and you are entitled to a written statement of your test result free of charge. If the employer only receives an oral statement, then you must be given an account of this statement.

Your alcohol consumption outside of working hours is a private matter that does not concern the employer, but the employer may object to it if you are working under the influence of alcohol or hung over at work.

An employer may not require an alcohol test without your consent, and any such test may only be conducted by a health care professional. Other persons may administer a breathalyser test, but only with your consent.