Drugs and the workplace, is it a concern?

[mitchbaywatch]

I do not believe it would be any harder to find a bootlegger than a dealer. They will always be there and kids will always know them. Where there is a customer there is a supplier. The law of supply and demand.

What does this have to do with drugs in the workplace.

Only the people with a lot of posts can go off topic?

[Ken7]

i dont feel its a big issue after being in the trades for 30 years.
i also have to take a drug test next week and have no problems.
i think drug and alcohol testing should start at the top though.
all government, then police,judges etc then keep working down.
teachers,doctors, test everyone.
im fine with that i dont do drugs.
but the laws should be modified to force testing to prove you were drunk or high at work.
who cares if you smoked pot 3 weeks ago on a camping trip.
i think any govt employee or MLA etc caught drinking on the job should be instantly fired with no future pay.
lets level the playing field and make laws that apply to all not just a select few.

The sad part is currently, if you state you have a problem to your employer it is not grounds for dismissal. It now becomes their problem. The employee will be bought off, so they resign as the company doesn't want the responsibility.

As far down the line do you go, if you are collecting social Assistance..should you fall under the same rules??

[Fixer 166]

.

As far down the line do you go, if you are collecting social Assistance..should you fall under the same rules??[/quote]

This doesnt work. They tried in Cali, the majority of the people passed and it cost the state millions they don't have.

Edit: a bit off topic, but sowheat avatar baywatch

[fluffy]

Just putting this out there.
One of the reasons Suncor, I believe it is, is being stopped from doing random tests is that they couldn't prove that random tests would lessen incidents. In other words most incidents involve people who are clean.

Edit: here ya go
http://www.mymcmurray.com/suncor-loses- ... ll-barred/
From my iPad

Not a whole lot of info in that news clip, have you heard more? Was the downside for union members based on the privacy thing with off-the-job use still showing up in urine tests?

[keith1612]

are there drug and alcohol problems in the workplaces?
perhaps a small one.
is there a marijuana and safety issue in the workplace?
i would say even smaller yet.
this thread is about personal concerns not any factual proof of harmful workplace injury's.
im more concerned about getting injured by a idiot at work than a stoner as i would say by personal experiance there are alot more stupid people than high people on jobsites.
so thats my question, how do we ban stupid from high risk jobs?

[Smurf]

I would assume that would be one big problem fluffy. And a hard one to get around.

Mitchbaywatch wrote:

Sorry if this does not appear right on the forum (new at posting in forums, first time poster long time reader)

No problem, welcome to Castanet.

Mitchbaywatch wrote:

"you and steve were talking about it so I put my 2 cents in"

Sorry if it seemed like I was singling out you. I was actually thinking of Steven and myself. If you followed these threads for a while you would realize that he and I have beat the drug topic apart for so long we must both be blue in the face. I was hoping to keep this more on topic as there are so many other drug threads to argue legalization on if we want to.

Mitchbaywatch wrote:

Only the people with a lot of posts can go off topic

?

No I think anyone can do it. Believe me I am as bad as anybody.

[Smurf]

I am finding this quite interesting.

Many people have mentioned Alcohol which I believe is just another mind impairing abused drug. I believe it is probably one of the worst abused and probably one of the worst problem in workplaces and elsewhere. Is that because it is legal and accepted. I would say at least partly so.

People have mentioned politicians etc.. I believe they should be under the same rules. I am talking about ALL workplaces and all mind impairing substances. When I say I agree with some sort of fair testing I mean in workplaces not just camps. I am just using the original article as proof there are problems and the fact it is a situation I have had a number of problems with. I have had people sent home for being unsafe, as a union rep I have worked to save people's jobs, I have helped people find help for their problems and more but my main concern is that everyone goes home healthy at the end of the day.

Another big problem which has been mentioned is legal over the counter and precribed drugs. I believe they should be treated the same as illegal drugs. The big difference being how do you tell someone they can't use the drugs their doctor has prescribed for them.

Listening to the news last night I heard them discussing the dangers of aroma therapy for anyone who is in contact with it for extended periods of time (over an hour) such as a therapy worker. One thing one of the doctors said was just because something is natural in nature does mean it is safe. Many things in their natural state or altered by burning or whatever are harmful even deadly.

These are all problems and when I think back to my days as a safety officer I remember how hard it was to prepare and impliment new procedures that were reasonable and worked.

EDIT TO ADD: AS ff ointed out I made a mistake above.

"One thing one of the doctors said was just because something is natural in nature does mean it is safe."

SHOULD READ

One thing one of the doctors said was just because something is natural in nature does NOT mean it is safe

[Smurf]

I would totaly agree about stupid people on job sites. However there is really nothing we can do about stupid people, they are part and always will be a part of our world. We can only hope they somehow get weeded out before they hurt someone. Drugs on the other hand are a choice and can be controlled. Even necessary prescription drugs can be worked around with some effort.

[theyeti]

anyone else think safety hands r the enemy ?? always have hated those idiots with there shiny white hard hats out there slowing everything down . making fuss when no fuss is needed . half the injuries occur when these guys r around because everyone is so nervous about the company cop being out to check on things lets get ridd of a few safety hands maybe that will cut back on accidents

[fluffy]

This appears to be coming down to a principle vs. practicality thing. When it comes to safety in the workplace it seems to me that there is a responsibility for everyone involved to be at the top of their game. Diminished capacity due to whatever reason, especially in a high risk environment, should not be tolerated. Clouding the issue with civil rights arguments skews us away from the matter at hand which is minimizing the potential for injury or worse. I agree that what someone does on their own time is their own business, as long as it doesn't extend into the job place like a hangover might. The problem as it is presented here is more one of finding adequate methods of testing that would indicate on-the-job impairment. The principle of not being 100% and the risks that presents is pretty hard if not impossible to argue against. I can't see random testing as not having a positive influence in the job place, if even one person stops using because their job is at risk then that's an improvement, right?

[fluffy]

I would totaly agree about stupid people on job sites. However there is really nothing we can do about stupid people, they are part and always will be a part of our world. We can only hope they somehow get weeded out before they hurt someone. Drugs on the other hand are a choice and can be controlled. Even necessary prescription drugs can be worked around with some effort.

There has to be some responsibility on the part of the individual trades to ensure that a person has adequate training in proper procedures. Legally prescribed drugs can be dealt with in part through light duty assignments as long as there is honest disclosure from the employee. If significant impairment results from the prescription then perhaps some time off is in order. Illegal use of prescription drugs should be in the same class as illicit drugs and alcohol.

[zzontar]

are there drug and alcohol problems in the workplaces?
perhaps a small one.
is there a marijuana and safety issue in the workplace?
i would say even smaller yet.
this thread is about personal concerns not any factual proof of harmful workplace injury's.
im more concerned about getting injured by a idiot at work than a stoner as i would say by personal experiance there are alot more stupid people than high people on jobsites.
so thats my question, how do we ban stupid from high risk jobs?

We don't, just like the bad drivers who cause the majority of collisions while sober don't seem to be banned from driving either. Being a dangerous worker/driver is always deemed more acceptable if done sober.

[flamingfingers]

One thing one of the doctors said was just because something is natural in nature does (not) mean it is safe.

(Sorry, Smurf, I knew what you meant, just added the (not) on my own.)

Oh man!! Do I Ever Wish this would sink in with (most) people!

[Smurf]

Thank you ff I put a correction in the original post.

[Fixer 166]

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?