Drug tests positive in 9pc of staff

Nine per cent of random drug tests on workers by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) prove positive.

ESR scientist and client manager Sue Nolan said the Crown research institute did drug-testing for more than 400 companies at more than 700 sites.

Such programmes were highlighted by a landmark Employment Court ruling this week giving Air New Zealand the right to drug-test some workers.

ESR workplace drug-testing programme manager Shellie Turner said that, along with the 9 per cent of positive random tests, 8 per cent of pre-employment drug tests were also positive.

Statistics from current drug testing indicated that 27 per cent of tests were positive when carried out on workers after industrial accidents or when companies believed an employee was behaving in a way consistent with drug use, she said.

Ms Nolan said the most common drug detected was cannabis, and testing in the past 12 to 18 months had found an increase of the drug P.

The ESR was expecting more interest in its workplace programmes as a result of the Air New Zealand ruling.

Ms Nolan said the judgment, which specifically referred to the ESR, endorsed the institute's drug-testing methodology and analysis.

The institute was the only New Zealand organisation with specific accreditation for workplace drug testing under New Zealand and Australian standards.

"The most common industries are forestry, fishing, dairy, transport, power and roading, mining and the poultry and meat industries, but we also do testing for such diverse industries and enterprises as personnel and legal firms," she said.

The Air New Zealand decision allows random testing of workers in safety-sensitive areas, pre-employment testing, tests of workers suspected of taking drugs whose behaviour is, or could be, harmful, and tests of workers involved in an accident or near-miss. It does not allow generalised random testing.

The ESR said 45 of the firms involved in testing were from the top of the South Island, most in forestry.

Transport and construction companies were also among those likely to use workplace testing in the area and the number doing so was gradually increasing.

Marlborough Road Transport Association chairman Tony Duncan said there appeared to be a move towards such testing across the industry, which he supported.

"I think it's coming that we will have to write some sort of testing [regime] into employment contracts as there's a real move towards becoming more safety-conscious."

Mr Duncan said smaller transport companies in Marlborough were less likely to test employees because they tended to know their staff better.

"But for larger companies who employ more staff, it is definitely a safety issue and I believe there are some in Marlborough which do test for drug and alcohol use now."

- NZPA