Rail traffic conductors and train drivers shoulder a huge responsibility and need constant presence of mind to keep travellers safe and avoid mistakes that could have dire consequences. Many European countries have therefore implemented a testing regime for alcohol and other drugs in safety-critical workplace sectors – for example in nuclear, transportation, and refinery operations – to ensure that personnel can perform their job safely.

Several nations, including Sweden, have also established additional acts like the Law on Safety and Health at the Workplace, the Public Employment Act, and the Code for Civil Servants to permit pre‐employment testing or to authorise occupational physicians to conduct examinations for specific roles, where required.¹ 

In this article, Benita Olsson, HR strategist at SJ, Sweden’s national rail service, describes the company’s comprehensive drug testing programme, and explains why using a trustworthy and experienced third-party provider to implement testing is an efficient solution to this crucial safety process.

Maintaining high safety standards

SJ, Statens Järnvägar, is Sweden’s state-owned railway company and was first established in 1856. It serves approximately 400 stations in total, including Oslo in Norway, and Copenhagen in Denmark, and is constantly expanding to new areas. The company runs up to 1,500 journeys a day and employs around 5,400 people across both Sweden and Norway.

Although illicit substance abuse is less common in Sweden compared to many other European countries, the prevalence of hazardous alcohol consumption among people from 16 to 84 years old is 15 percent.²

This makes it a concern for rail operators, as it is clearly important that the mental capacity of train drivers and others charged with passenger safety is not compromised by alcohol or drugs, which can often significantly impair judgment and reaction times. There were 191 rail accidents in Sweden between 2017 and 2021³, attributed to a wide range of factors, further emphasising the need for regular staff alcohol and drug testing to reduce the number of incidents taking place on railways each year, and ultimately to keep travellers and workers safe

Supporting a healthy workforce

SJ’s comprehensive drug and alcohol testing programme has been conducted by the European Drug Testing Service (EDTS) since 2000. Founded over 25 years ago and headquartered near Stockholm, EDTS was initially focused on random drug testing for the international shipping industry. Since 1996, new customer segments have gradually been added, and the organisation now serves workplaces across the logistics, public transport, manufacturing, energy and security sectors. EDTS is the largest drug testing service provider in the country, and performs around 100,000 drug and alcohol analyses every year, adhering to carefully established chain of custody protocols in line with the European guidelines for drug testing in working life.⁴ In 2017, EDTS became part of Abbott – a world leader in medical technology, patient-centred services and surgery – where it sits within the company’s Toxicology division. Furthermore, EDTS complies with the country’s current GDPR requirements and works according to the instructions specified in the personal data processing agreement between EDTS and the customer.

A robust testing strategy

EDTS’s team of 80 extensively trained Collecting Officers visits railway stations unannounced over a variety of time slots throughout the week, and randomly selects 25 percent of employees with a safety profession, such as train drivers and onboard staff, for testing. The team uses breath alcohol testing instruments to test the staff for alcohol and takes saliva samples for laboratory analysis using a customised drugs panel. These Collecting Officers oversee all breath testing exams and saliva collections, protecting against sample adulteration and tampering. The samples are then sent off for laboratory analysis to test for the company’s chosen drug panel, which, for SJ, comprises amphetamine, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, and opiates. This panel reflects the most common illicit drugs used in Sweden today and has been adopted as a standard by approximately 90 percent of EDTS’s clients. Saliva was chosen over urine as this has a short window of detection and so provides information on recent use. It is also quick and convenient to collect causing minimal disruption to a train operator's daily activities.

Breath alcohol testing instruments yield results instantly, and a positive result means that the employee must perform a second test straight away. Drug analysis results, however, usually take 5-7 days to come back, including result interpretation and validation by an external Medical Review Officer (MRO).

The MROs are clinicians with specialist competence working for independent occupational healthcare companies. These individuals fulfil an important role within workplace drug testing, so it is essential that they have a good understanding of all parts of the process, as well as the current issues related to substance use and abuse. The MRO is responsible for assessing if someone is in contravention of a company’s drug and alcohol policy, or whether there is a legitimate reason for a non-negative result, for example, some prescription medicines can generate a non-negative. In addition, staff are asked to disclose any medications they are taking before they provide their saliva sample but, in the case of a red flag, it is still crucial for the MRO to have a confidential discussion with the individual about their situation to make a considered decision as to the next steps, such as further investigations with a third-party provider. These additional layers of security aim to protect the individual from false accusations and unfair dismissal, and the employer from subsequent legal action.

On top of these routine visits, EDTS also performs additional testing for SJ in the event of a variety of incidents or accidents, to determine whether an employee was under the influence of a substance that may have contributed to the incident. The service is provided around the clock across the whole country. Collecting Officers arrive on-site to perform breath alcohol tests and collect saliva samples for drug analysis within two hours of the event. The results from these urgent analyses are then sent directly to the rail company’s HR team as soon as they have been processed and approved by the MRO to minimise potential delays to the investigation. Fast result turnaround times promote security and provide both individual workers and employers with added reassurance. In the event of a positive result, SJ has a robust protocol in place to fully support the affected person through external occupational health companies, for example, counselling, rehabilitation, or a temporary or permanent change of role within the company.

Comprehensive employee care

The Swedish Transport Agency requires transport companies such as SJ to conduct physical and mental health checks on their drivers and employees conducting security-critical tasks throughout the course of their service. Drivers must be examined every three years up to the age of 55, and annually after this point.⁵ For employees undertaking security-critical tasks the frequency differs, they are examined every five years up to the age of 41, every three years up to the age of 62 and then annually thereafter.⁶ This periodic check-up is carried out by an Occupational Health provider, and helps to ensure that individuals have the capacity to perform their jobs safely and without putting others at risk.

In addition to this national guideline, SJ has its own clear and comprehensive Drug and Alcohol Policy, which allows it to communicate its attitude regarding drugs and alcohol to its staff base and empowers personnel to maintain a safe working environment.²

SJ is proud of its transparency and ensures that its workers are fully aware of the company’s substance use policy and testing procedures from the beginning of their contract. Employees are also expected to take a high level of personal responsibility for participating in these routine health examinations, and for adhering to all company and national policies. Together, these measures function as a successful deterrent for substance abuse among train employees and help to reduce the number of rail accidents due to sickness, mental health problems or intoxication later down the line.

A loyal customer

Sweden’s geography poses some logistical challenges for both EDTS in managing SJ’s extensive testing program, and for the rapid incident response team. The country is the fifth largest in Europe, stretching nearly 1,572 km from north to south, and is peppered with water bodies and remote towns. In addition, rail staff are often unavailable for testing at their allotted time, meaning that Collection Officers may need to return to one train station numerous times over the course of a few months to complete one round of sampling. EDTS has the expertise, resources, and infrastructure to overcome these difficulties and consistently provides high-quality and reliable services across the whole nation, more than satisfying customer requirements and presenting legally defensible results.

For SJ, using an external provider to implement the whole drug and alcohol testing process from start to finish is an efficient and convenient way to maintain its stringent safety standards. The importance of workplace testing for safety and security has come to the forefront in Sweden in recent years and is a growing focus of interest for both the government and numerous industries. As a result, new workplace substance testing services are constantly springing up across the country, but SJ is more than happy to continue using EDTS as its trustworthy and reliable service provider because of its high-calibre work, extensive industry experience and dedicated customer support. EDTS prides itself on free and open communication with its numerous clients and has built up a strong relationship with SJ over the many years of its partnership. SJ is looking forward to continuing this valuable collaboration into the future, and to ultimately ensuring that Swedish rail travel remains safe for both workers and passengers in the years to come.