Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

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steven lloyd
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Re: Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

Post by steven lloyd »

Fixer 166 wrote:So I'm a tradesman and I get tested as such. Now here's some food for thought.
People (ie nurses) don't get tested. How's that?

They don't work with power-saws.

(kidding - good point)
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fluffy
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Re: Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

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I've got a feeling this is more of a reaction to the thought that many respond to long work hours and the isolation of camp life with substance abuse, and that habitual use even off-hours can lead to increased risk in the work place, let alone the possibility of on-the-job use because of habitual use has progressed into addiction. This is not an illogical conclusion to make. Even if there are no stats to support it one way or the other it would be more than a little irresponsible to assume that it is not going on. I would counter the argument that there is no proof of a problem with an argument that there is no reason to assume there is no problem.
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Fixer 166
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Re: Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

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So the fact they work with and are around drugs everyday? What about the fact people's lives are in their hands? Don't get me wrong I disagree with drug tests, just something to think about.
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fluffy
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Re: Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

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I don't dispute that there is a likely correlation with substance abuse and availability, in fact that's one of the reasons why camp life should be more suspect.
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grammafreddy
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Re: Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

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I am surprised (although I know I shouldn't be) that anyone would tolerate impaired people on any job site. Don't folks plan to go home at the end of their shift? Do they consider at all that XXX could kill them at any time but stay on the job anyway, working around an impaired employee?

What would happen if they told their supervisor they weren't going to work around XX because he/she was impaired and could kill them or maim them for life? I don't mean leave the job site, just not start working until XX is dealt with and the job site is safe.
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mitchbaywatch
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Re: Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

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Gonna start testing for caffeine or nicotinne? I know of people that drink a lot of coffee or energy
drinks and or also smoke that cant slow down or think rationally. not saying to start testing for
these, but where do you draw the line? There a lot of concerns at the workplace (lack of sleep
caffeine or whatever you want to add to the list). I just think smurf has a problem with drug use at
all and the fact that they are illegal. that's fine everyone has an opinion I respect that. What about
greedy employers that cut corners at the expense of employees health or safety? That is another tread all together.
I feel that there are bigger concerns at the work than drugs. If we polled employees
across the board I would think drug use would be closer to the bottom to the list of concerns, employers might say the
opposite. Who know? I just personally don't think there is a cause for concern about drug use if you factor in
all the other concerns whatever they might be depending on the job. Would like to see stats that say so,
other than that it is all personal opinion! sorry just rambling on now and not meant to be a attack against you smurf.
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steven lloyd
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Re: Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

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grammafreddy wrote: What would happen if they told their supervisor they weren't going to work around XX because he/she was impaired and could kill them or maim them for life? I don't mean leave the job site, just not start working until XX is dealt with and the job site is safe.

If I was working with or around equipment or power tools that could maim or kill me I would refuse to work with anyone stoned on marijuana, pain killers, hungover from alcohol, wiped out from lack of sleep, or just too stupid to be there.

We can't make being stupid illegal though.
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fluffy
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Re: Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

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mitchbaywatch wrote: I just personally don't think there is a cause for concern about drug use if you factor in
all the other concerns whatever they might be depending on the job.


I don't think the existence of other risks justifies ignoring any one of them in particular. Like Steven just said, if you're impaired for whatever reason, impaired enough to represent a hazard to yourself or those around you then you should be somewhere else. In the warehouse counting widgets, in your bunk-room sleeping it off, or on a bus home, anywhere but where you are a risk. It's a pretty simple concept really. Stay in the game or be somewhere else.
Last edited by fluffy on Dec 2nd, 2012, 11:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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grammafreddy
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Re: Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

Post by grammafreddy »

No, we can't.

But workers who actually cared about safe conditions and living to the end of their shift could self-police and refuse to work around an impaired person. Not walk off the job or anything that would maybe get them fired, just refuse to work around that person. If enough of them did that, wouldn't management be forced to deal with the offender/dangerous worker?

I could be totally out to lunch, too - maybe drugs/booze/whatever the problem is - are so widely used that most people on a job site go to work stoned or drunk or impaired in some way. In that case, the lone safety-conscious employee would probably be better off looking for a different job - because nothing would change and the job site would never be safe.
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mitchbaywatch
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Re: Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

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I am not condoning drug use at work either.
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mitchbaywatch
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Re: Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

Post by mitchbaywatch »

I don't think the existence of other risks justifies ignoring any one of them in particular. Like Steven just said, if you're impaired for whatever reason, impaired enough to represent a hazard to yourself or those around you then you should be somewhere else. In the warehouse counting widgets, in your bunk-room sleeping it off, or on a bus home, anywhere but where you are a risk. It's a pretty simple concept really. Stay in the game or be somewhere else.[/quote]

sorry not sure how the quote thing works will find out.

For sure I agree with what you say, it just sounds like people think that levels of impairment are a
big concern (people shoudn't be under the influence at all). It is a concern but nowwhere near the top.
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grammafreddy
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Re: Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

Post by grammafreddy »

mitchbaywatch wrote:
For sure I agree with what you say, it just sounds like people think that levels of impairment are a
big concern (people shoudn't be under the influence at all). It is a concern but nowwhere near the top.


What would you think would rate as a higher concern than working around an unsafe fellow employee?
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mitchbaywatch
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Re: Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

Post by mitchbaywatch »

depends on the fellow employee. there are a lot of safety concerns at work
ie faulty equiment or lack of up keep on equipment whatever you want to add.
My point being across the board it falls closer to the bottom. It is all a concern, which order
depends on who you ask.
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mitchbaywatch
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Re: Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

Post by mitchbaywatch »

sorry new here not sure how to make the quote highlight in grey or whatever, any help would be appreciated thx!!
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Smurf
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Re: Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

Post by Smurf »

Good question Gramma. Not much as far as I'm concerned.

Which brings us to testing. What is an employer supposed to do to get the proof necessary to dicipline an employee. In the world today you can get in a lot of trouble if you do anything without proof. I would think testing for drugs, preferably impairement would be a good method. Random testing if you have someone who you believe is a problem would be a good way to do that. I would never have minded being tested if it was for the safety of everyone on site. I can't see how it could even be discriminatory because unless you test positive (fail) it is a plus for you.
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