Pubdate: Thu, 07 Apr 2005
Source: Evening Star, The (UK)
Copyright: 2005, Eastern Counties Newspapers Group Ltd
Contact:  http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/Content/news/news_home.asp
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1695
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

PORT'S DRUG TESTS NEGATIVE

FELIXSTOWE port has today been hailed a drug free zone after random drug 
tests on workers have all come back negative.

The initiative to test workers from the port was brought in at the 
beginning of the year as a health and safety initiative.

Paul Davey, corporate affairs manager at the port, said: "We have a 
commitment at the port to our workforce to ensure it is as safe as place as 
possible. This is just one way of ensuring that.

"The new random drug tests were brought in at the beginning of 2005 with 
full approval from the trade union.

"It has been well received by the workers and we have had no failures in 
the three months we have been doing it.

"There is a lot of heavy equipment here and it would be very dangerous to 
have someone under the influence of drugs operating the machinery."

Each month one per cent of the port's workers, around 28 people, are chosen 
to take part in a test to screen for any illegal drugs.

The workers are chosen at random and anyone can be selected for tests 
including the managing director.

The news comes a day after The Evening Star revealed that more than 1,200 
accidents at the port had been reported to the Health and Safety Executive 
over the last nine years.

These accidents included 120 major incidents which have caused fatal or 
serious injuries to staff while at work.

Aside from the deaths of three men at the port, others have sustained brain 
damage, amputations and exposure to alarming levels of a dangerous substance.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom