Pubdate: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 Source: Nelson Mail, The (New Zealand) Contact: http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/indexLite/1,2487,0a9,FF.html Copyright: 2003 Independent Newspapers Limited Website: http://www.nelsonmail.co.nz/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1069 Author: Lane Nichols Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) PORT DRUG TESTS CATCH CASUALS About 18 percent of prospective casual workers at Port Nelson have tested positive for illegal drugs since mandatory testing was introduced in November last year, the port company says. The results are comparable with two other regional employers, New Zealand King Salmon and Weyerhaueser New Zealand, which have reported positive testing rates from about 10 percent to more than 20 percent. The Government laboratory ESR says Nelson's positive drug test rate is higher than other places in the South Island. But the percentage of people testing positive at the three companies has declined since testing was first introduced. Port Nelson's testing applies to all new appointments within the company, including internal transfers. The higher numbers of positive tests have been found only among casual workers - - 13 out of 72 casual staff who have applied since November have tested positive. Only one out of 41 permanent employees have tested positive since testing for them was introduced in September 2001. The company now plans to test workers where there is reasonable cause to suspect the influence of illegal drugs following a workplace incident. Workers employed by the company before the introduction of testing have not been screened. Port Nelson sends urine samples to the Institute of Environmental Research and Science, which tests for cannabinoids, opiates, cocaine, amphetamines and benzodiazepines. Port Nelson chief executive Jim Williamson said drug and alcohol testing was introduced as a health and safety precaution because much of the company's work involved heavy equipment and machinery. A person who tested positive would not be employed by the company, he said. Weyerhaeuser New Zealand harvest operations manager Ian Reade said all of the company's more than 500 employees were subject to pre-employment, reasonable cause, post-incident and random drug and alcohol testing. Mr Reade said the testing programme was introduced in 2000-2001 and targeted about 200 workers every six months. When testing was first introduced, between 20 and 30 percent of workers were testing positive. But the last six-month period had only recorded a 10 percent positive rate. A positive test did not necessarily mean automatic dismissal. Instead workers were offered a programme of rehabilitation, education and counselling. "What people do in their own time is their business. Our biggest issue is that they are not impaired while they're at work," Mr Reade said. New Zealand King Salmon Company chief executive Paul Steere said all new employees had undergone drug testing since April 2001. During that time, 430 tests had been carried out with 40 prospective workers testing positive. Mr Steere said there was about a 15 percent positive testing rate when it was introduced, but the rate had since dropped to about 6 percent. "People on the farms and in processing are working as a team and are reliant on the good work of their team mates." Sealord spokeswoman Merrill Coke said the company introduced pre-employment testing in 1997 in response to concerns by fishermen "about the potential effects of drug-taking at sea". Although unable to provide exact figures, she said there had been a "significant decrease" in positive testing over the years. ESR workplace drug testing programme manager Shelli Turner said the number of positive tests recorded in Nelson was higher than other parts of the South Island. She said the trend might be explained by Nelson's favourable cannabis growing climate and the culture of the area. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk