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passing drugs test for railway

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eurostarman

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Straight to the point and honest.

I messed up and made a STUPID mistake by smoking a little weed recently. After this I found I have a drug test in a week (Standard railway procedure)


From your experience being tested for the railway I just need a few simple answer .. (before you start I know i did wrong...and I regret it.. but its done)

Are you being watched when you go for a pee?
Are you left alone when you pee?

Basically I want to know how the medical precedure works..
I have a amazing opptunity coming up and I need to know how to pass this.. even know I know i made the mistake. THANKS
 
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Cherry_Picker

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It's difficult to cheat on the test if that's what you are asking. They don't actually watch the wee come out of you but they are in close attendance and the cup you wee into will have a temperature monitor on it. You'll be asked to turn out your pockets before going to produce a sample too.

If you've got a high enough amount of the drug in your system to fail then you've probably blown it.
 

FGW_DID

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Basically I want to know how the medical precedure works..
I have a amazing opptunity coming up and I need to know how to pass this.. even know I know i made the mistake. THANKS

So you're basically asking how easy it is to cheat and pass the drugs test! :roll:

If you really want to know how to pass the test - DONT DO THE DRUGS IN THE FIRST PLACE <(
 

class 9

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If you are a drug user, I'm afraid you have no place working on the railways.
 

fabs

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At the risk of turning this into lecture but you are (hoping to) joining an industry where a number of its employees are responsible for the safety of the public. We have a D&A policy for a reason and the tests are actually supposed to serve as a deterrent rather than the expectation of catching someone out.
Whether you pass or not your judgement is, at best, questionable.

I'd mothball this forum account if I were you and start afresh. Because in the future if someone in real life is able to link this account with you personally and you are in the industry serious trust issues will escalate rather quickly.

The testers will know if your sample is 'fresh'.

If this was a one off error of judgement, fingers crossed for you. If you've done it more than once or twice then I hope the right result comes out; the industry and you are not right for each other.

Good luck
 
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red2005

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Yeah honesty is a great thing and if this is a one off I genuinely feel for you as any one of us can make a mistake.

HOWEVER

I do mirror what some of the other posters on here have said......we're in a position of trust mate and the public as bad as they can be at times have the right to have someone looking after them without substances that affect performance in their system.

Let's all not make the mistake of thinking this post is just related to driving......I don't want anyone safety critical or not with this stuff in their system working with me.

Without trying to sound preachy or belittling I genuinely hope this can only have a happy ending.......you either pass the test realise how lucky you are and never do something so daft again or you don't pass and learn from your mistake.
 

Louby

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Straight to the point and honest.

I messed up and made a STUPID mistake by smoking a little weed recently. After this I found I have a drug test in a week (Standard railway procedure)


From your experience being tested for the railway I just need a few simple answer .. (before you start I know i did wrong...and I regret it.. but its done)

Are you being watched when you go for a pee?
Are you left alone when you pee?

Basically I want to know how the medical precedure works..
I have a amazing opptunity coming up and I need to know how to pass this.. even know I know i made the mistake. THANKS

I had mine very recently and you actually get patted down to see if you are carrying any bottles etc, very very strict and they are stood literally outside the door , so if you were even considering doing anything stupid I wouldn't bother going
 
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MBU82007

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Does anyone know what the cut off levels are?
Eg 50ng/ml or 25ng/ml?

To the original poster: if this was a just a 'stupid mistake' and the only time you have consumed the substance, also if you have a good diet and are fairly active and not overweight with normal metabolism you MIGHT be ok for the test after 7 days......... BUT THE ONLY WAY TO GUARANTEE PASSING IS TO STAY AWAY FROM THE CRAP. ??????
 
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E&W Lucas

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Taking drugs is not a mistake. It is a deliberate action.

I would suggest that you do not attend the medical, and withdraw from the selection process. If you fail the drugs test, for all practical purposes that's you barred from the industry.

Walk away, grow up, come back when you've genuinely learned to keep away from drugs. If you can't guarantee to do that, this is not the industry for you. Remember, you can be screened AT ANY TIME when you are at work.
 

red2005

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Taking drugs is not a mistake. It is a deliberate action.

I would suggest that you do not attend the medical, and withdraw from the selection process. If you fail the drugs test, for all practical purposes that's you barred from the industry.

Walk away, grow up, come back when you've genuinely learned to keep away from drugs. If you can't guarantee to do that, this is not the industry for you. Remember, you can be screened AT ANY TIME when you are at work.

True but on many occasions so is speeding in your car which can have catastrophic consequences but many have done it!....... Are we saying that people can't be reformed/ learn from their mistakes and should live with their errors forever?

Sad old world we live in if that's what we've come to!......remember a mistake comes in many forms.

Like I said earlier not condoning the guys actions but to make out he's a lost cause is harsh.
 

E&W Lucas

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Like I said earlier not condoning the guys actions but to make out he's a lost cause is harsh.
I didn't - I suggested that he needed to go away until he has grown up.

What's key for him is not to fail the drug screening now, which he will if he has smoked dope in the last six months, as it can be detected for that long.

If he fails it, it gets recorded, and there goes any realistic chance of ever being employed in the industry. Far better to recognise that he's no chance of securing the job this time, to withdraw from the process before the medical and to re - apply when he's made the necessary permanent adjustments to his lifestyle.
 

Gemz91

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True but on many occasions so is speeding in your car which can have catastrophic consequences but many have done it!....... Are we saying that people can't be reformed/ learn from their mistakes and should live with their errors forever?

Sad old world we live in if that's what we've come to!......remember a mistake comes in many forms.

Like I said earlier not condoning the guys actions but to make out he's a lost cause is harsh.


To be fair, how I read his original post makes out likes he's wanting to cheat the drugs test if thats the case its more then just a mistake.
 

red2005

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I read it more like he's done something and is wondering whether it's worth going or not.....seems to me it's more someone that doesn't know the system and is wanting advice.

Takes a big person to admit they've messed up in quite a big way and seek advice. Which is quite a big thing on the railway as it happens! They like you to be honest and hold your hands up when you've ****ed up.

Like I say not condoning his actions and I'm a firm believer drugs and alcohol have no place near the railway in ANY role. However I was always told at home and in school that we all make mistakes and it's one of the best ways of learning.

This may mean now he's cost himself a job on the railway for the time being but it'll still be a learning experience none the less.
 

donpoku

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This may mean now he's cost himself a job on the railway for the time being but it'll still be a learning experience none the less.

You have concurred with E&W initial advice which is without a doubt the best advice possible. Take absolutely no risk whatsoever, learn now and come back later. All the best.
 

RBSN

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Walk away, grow up, come back when you've genuinely learned to keep away from drugs. If you can't guarantee to do that, this is not the industry for you. Remember, you can be screened AT ANY TIME when you are at work.

I have to agree here.
 

carriageline

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Put it this way, your made to empty your pockets, and your not left alone. Hope they catch you trying to cheat it, and your banned from ever working on the railway :lol:

All due respect, smoke week if you want. But surely, you knew applying for this job would mean having to stop it? Even more so if you are as far as the medical stage, and seeing as they can request hair/blood samples meaning you could be found out weeks after the event then wouldn't it of been better to quit a while ago?


Frankly, you are **** out of luck.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

red2005

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You have concurred with E&W initial advice which is without a doubt the best advice possible. Take absolutely no risk whatsoever, learn now and come back later. All the best.

Cheers mate!

I just think throwing someone to the wolves and making out there's no way back is just a bit "too easy" personally and does nothing but make it look like certain people believe the "perfect human being" exists.

It's a sad insight into what society today is actually like unfortunately. If anyone on here thinks that the railway Industry is full of staff who have no skeletons in the closet they're living in a dream world and frankly quite delusional.

The guy has messed up.........big deal.......doesn't mean he's a lost cause. I just think he should kick himself up the backside, go away and come back when his decision making has improved drastically.
 

E&W Lucas

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Cheers mate!

I just think throwing someone to the wolves and making out there's no way back is just a bit "too easy" personally and does nothing but make it look like certain people believe the "perfect human being" exists.

It's a sad insight into what society today is actually like unfortunately. If anyone on here thinks that the railway Industry is full of staff who have no skeletons in the closet they're living in a dream world and frankly quite delusional.

The guy has messed up.........big deal.......doesn't mean he's a lost cause. I just think he should kick himself up the backside, go away and come back when his decision making has improved drastically.

Think you've taken whay I put the wrong way.
For the third time, the besty thing the OP can do is NOT take the drugs test, and give himself the opportunity to come back in the future.

If he were to take and fail a railway drug test, that will flag up if he ever applies again. Anywhere in the industry. I believe there may be a notional period of years after which he could technically be considered for appointment again, but in reality, we all know that it would be very unlikely.

We all know people who've failed drug/ alcohol screening. Sadly, it does happen.
 
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red2005

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Think you've taken whay I put the wrong way.
For the third time, the besty thing the OP can do is NOT take the drugs test, and give himself the opportunity to come back in the future.

If he were to take and fail a railway drug test, that will flag up if he ever applies again. Anywhere in the industry. I believe there may be a notional period of years after which he could technically be considered for appointment again, but in reality, we all know that it would be very unlikely.

We all know people who've failed drug/ alcohol screening. Sadly, it does happen.

Er sorry no I haven't.......like someone said earlier I've actually concurred with what you've said (well most of it) You're spot on in what you said in terms of not taking the test and coming back when he's got his life in order.

My only issue is with the " deliberate act" comment and about that not being a mistake.

I go back to my speeding comment........loads of people out there have 3+ points on their licence and lots of the time they are deliberately speeding because they're in a rush etc etc etc........yes it's a deliberate act but it's still an error.......it's an error in their judgement and decision making.

My Auntie smoked deliberately all her life and unfortunately passed away from lung cancer 8 years ago......I can categorically say her opinion was she had made a mistake taking up smoking.

Which is the exact same thing as this fella has done. He's carried out a deliberate act yes......as he could of said no.......but it's still a mistake.

My comments regarding throwing the guy to the wolves etc were aimed at other comments on here.

It certainly does happen you're right......more often than people may think and a lot of the time it's happening to people who you'd never of thought it would happen to in a million years.

Yes we work in the best industry in the world as a whole but as we both know it can be a stressful one at times and can force even the most professional amongst us to do silly things when the going gets tough.

Luckily if you hold your hands up and admit to wrong doings or approach them when you have personal problems they'll support you fully......that's what this guy should do........admit he's ****ed up, go get help if required and come back when his head is in the right place.
 
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