Pubdate: Tue, 16 Aug 2005 Source: Central Leader (New Zealand) Copyright: 2005 Central Leader Contact: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3532 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) UNION SAYS NO NEED FOR LAW CHANGE OVER WORK DRUG USE Laws already cover workplace drug use, but education and enforcement is the key to accident prevention, the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) says. Far North coroner Robin Fountain has called for a law change to ban anyone from smoking cannabis before using boats, vehicles, aircraft or machinery. Mr Fountain yesterday reported on the deaths of skipper Gregory Thirkettle and crew member Mark Scott when their fishing boat Iron Maiden sank southwest of Cape Reinga last August. Mr Fountain said the only cause he could find for the foundering which led to the men drowning was Mr Thirkettle's cannabis-influenced decision to carry on in stormy weather. He agreed with the Transport Accident Investigation Commission that the deaths had nothing to do with an alleged botched rescue attempt, as claimed by ACT Party leader Rodney Hide. But in reply to Mr Fountain's call for new legislation around cannabis, EPMU national secretary Andrew Little said today Health and Safety in Employment laws already covered drug use. "There's specific reference in that legislation to employers having to ensure that the risk or hazards associated with the employee being under the influence of drugs or alcohol have to be addressed," he told NZPA. "The law is already there, but what is needed is a combination of education and enforcement to make sure employers are doing that." The EPMU had an education programme called Not On The Job Mate, which it made available to employers. The union would have no objection to a saliva swab test being introduced for employees, if a reliable one could be developed, as urine testing was intrusive and attacked people's dignity, Mr Little said. Transport Safety Minister Harry Duynhoven said today Australia had been trialling a saliva swab test. However, the first test result taken to an Australian court had ended in a not guilty outcome on the proviso that the test was unreliable. "Until we get to the point of a simple scientific test which is reliable, then these court prosecutions would be fairly disastrous to undertake," Mr Duynhoven told National Radio. In the area of road safety, specialists from the United Kingdom had recently been here to train New Zealand police in recognising symptoms of drug use before sending people for a blood test. "That is really the only effective tool we have at the moment," the minister said. Police could take someone off the road for any reason if they believed their driving was impaired, as in the recent case of a kava drinker in Auckland. "However, it is extremely difficult to police the maritime sector, you have people who are at sea for days, or weeks - how can you have any other regime other than relying on the responsibility and common sense of the person involved?" Auckland University's Professor Ross McCormick, a seafarers' examiner for Maritime NZ and a drug and alcohol expert, said today overseas studies had suggested fishermen may use cannabis to relieve boredom at sea. Saliva swab tests for detecting cannabis use had potential, he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin