Pubdate: Fri, 02 Jun 2006
Source: Royal Gazette, The (Bermuda)
Copyright: 2006 The Royal Gazette Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.theroyalgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2103
Author: Elizabeth Roberts
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

EMPLOYERS URGED TO EMBRACE DRUG TESTING

Minister of National Drug control Wayne Perinchief has  urged the 75
percent of employers on the Island who do  not have 'drug-free
workplace' policies to put measures  in place.

Mr. Perinchief said a survey of 500 companies carried  out by his
Ministry showed that "a reasonable number"  do have policies embracing
drug testing at work.

However, he urged those who are not yet on board to  seek advice from
the National Drugs Commission on  developing a package to combat the
scourge of drugs.

"I want companies to do this on their own rather than  try to twist
their arms," he said. "We want every  employer to have a drug-free
workplace policy and  provide for drug-testing their employees." He
added:  "It's my information that the civil servants are in the 
process of of upgrading or determining their policy.  The civil
service are aware of the Ministry's wish to  get the ball rolling and
I think they have started to  initiate that.

"There are other agencies like the Police, Prisons and  Customs that
are also looking or reviewing their  policies at present with a view I
believe to  compliance, although it's early days."

He added that he is pleased the Department of Public  Transportation
already has drug testing in place for  bus drivers.

Cabinet Secretary John Drinkwater told The Royal  Gazette that plans
for a new testing policy are indeed  in the pipeline, although still
in the formative  stages.

The civil service has a ban on alcohol and drugs within  the workplace
under its current code of conduct and  provisional work is being done
to bring in drug testing  in the near future which would include
pre-employment  testing, he said.

Mr. Drinkwater added that this would work in  conjunction with the
current employee assistance  programme.

Bermudians Against Narcotics campaigner Takbir  Sharrieff has spoken
out in the past on his desire for  all Ministers to be drug-tested as
well as Police and  prison officers.

He said yesterday it is possible to legislate for  mandatory drug
testing in these areas, whereas it is  harder for private-sector
employers to enforce a drug  testing policy through contractual
arrangements.

Of Mr. Perinchief's comments that the Civil Service,  Police and
others are reviewing their policies, he  said: " That would be nice.
We will keep pushing until  it's put in place."

However, he added: 'They should have got a move on a  long time ago to
show that they are serious."

Mr. Perinchief had spoken about the issue as the  Bermuda Hospitals
Board unveiled a new drug-testing  service yesterday. The BHB is sole
agent for the  Psychemedics Corporation which uses a patented hair 
analysis method for drug detection. Speaking yesterday  at a workshop
on the service, R. Scott Pearman,  Director for Human Resources at
BHB, said research  showed workers who abuse drugs have 15 times the 
absenteeism rate of those who do not. They have 300  percent higher
medical costs, are 30 percent less  productive, and are three times
more likely to steal.  They are nearly 50 percent more likely to sell
drugs to  other employees. The BHB itself has a policy of  conducting
tests where impairment of work performance  or behavioural change is
observed. However, Mr. Pearman  told The Royal Gazette it was too
early to say which  other local employers might take up the new drug 
testing option open to them.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin