The Rail Safety National Law 2012 (RSNL) says that rail transport operators must ensure that rail safety workers don’t work under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
To do this, operators have to make a plan called a Drug and Alcohol Management Program. This plan says how they’ll test their workers for drugs and alcohol.
Some other organisations, like the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator and Police also test rail safety workers for drugs and alcohol.
National provisions in the RSNL don’t say exactly how much or what kind of drug and alcohol testing operators should do. Operators can choose the best testing methods based on the risks they’re dealing with.
But, in NSW, there are specific rules for drug testing, and right now, operators have to use urine testing.
The NTC is seeking your feedback about a plan to change this rule in NSW. They want to let operators in NSW use other testing methods like other places in the country. This change would give NSW operators more options to manage their risks.
