Admiralty Lawyers

Admiralty Law: Drug Testing

Safety is one of the most important components when working at sea. Whether you are employed on a ship, boat, or other type of vessel, it is important to always ensure your safety when working with large machinery, at great heights, or with other people. The nature of working at sea puts thousands of sea workers at risk each year. The crew members of each vessel must work together to ensure the safety of all members. Following all regulations and being able to respond appropriately to any situation is vital to a sea worker’s safety. Sea workers’ impairments can put everyone on the ship at risk of serious injury. Sleep deprivation, alcohol or drug consumption, and other types of impairment may jeopardize the health of all crew members.

Maritime and admiralty laws have strict regulations in regard to all licensed seamen’s use of drugs. According to the Code of Federal Regulations, all personnel who are required to have a license or merchant mariner’s document are subject to random drug tests.

The laws state that any sea worker testing positive for drug use is assumed a user of dangerous drugs. If this is the case, the sea worker must be removed immediately from any duty which affects the safety of the ship. This sea worker will then face legal proceedings for the revocation of their license, merchant mariner’s document, or certificate of registry.

It is an employer’s responsibility to ensure that all ships are drug-free. If you have been injured due to your employer’s failure to ensure that the vessel you work on is drug-free, contact an attorney immediately to learn more about your legal rights. There are no stipulations on how the random drug tests are administered. The selection of which employees are tested and how the test is carried out may even be randomly scheduled by computer.

If you have been injured at sea due to the negligence of your employer or another person, contact an admiralty lawyer at Williams Kherkher today by calling 800-220-9341.