Land Surveyor Workplace Drug testing

> I'm interested in fellow Beerlegrers thoughts on the following...
>
> 1. Do you or does your Company perform drug tests on perspective employees?

Yes

> 2. If so, what drugs would prohibit you or your company from employing a person who tested positive?

Any positive drug result unless there is documentation from a physician that states the drug prescribed and it would not impare the person in any way to prevent them from doing their job assignment

> 3. When a drug test indicates a positive result, would different standards apply with respect to the position offered?

No

> 4. If you live in a “Medical Marijuana” state are you legally discriminating against a perspective employee by not employing he/she because they have a prescription for marijuana?

Don't live in a Med. Marijuana State, but being a Heavy Highway/Site Contractor, there is no room for error. A positive drug screen is grounds for immediate dismissal.

> 5. Does your E & O policy require drug testing?

Most likely, not sure. It is mandatory to test all involved if there is an incident.

>
> All comments, observations and general remarks are encouraged.
>
> Y’all have a great weekend! B-)

A few years back, a construction company was working on a project at the local Air Force Base. They needed to hire some labors, and interviewed several at their Off Base Office. One of the Formen for the company drove his company truck to the gate to meet a news employee so that he could come to the security office to get a pass and register his personal vehicle to drive on base. When they started back trhough the gate, the dog team showed up to excercise their new drug sniffing dog. The dog allerted on the truck, and after a short search, they found one joint in the new guy's lunch box. Both the passanger, the new guy, and the driver, foreman, were detained. The truck and all of it's contents were impounded. Needles to say, the new guy did not have a job, but the forman was bared from the base. The truck and the contents were taken 2500 miles to an impound and disposal facility. I don't know if they got the truck and tools back, but even if they did, it took time.

I would suggest that if you are going to drug test that you put your policy in writing before you test, and let the policy be known to all current and future employees. If a current empoloyee does not agree with it, you can offer them help with their problem. If they choose to not accept your help, they are free to find another job.

1. Do you or does your Company perform drug tests on perspective employees?
No, I work for the federal government. We can test employees that are suspected of using drugs. A drug conviction is an automatic out.

2. If so, what drugs would prohibit you or your company from employing a person who tested positive?

Any positive drug result unless there is a perscription from a physician for a legal drug.

3. When a drug test indicates a positive result, would different standards apply with respect to the position offered?
No

4. If you live in a “Medical Marijuana” state are you legally discriminating against a perspective employee by not employing he/she because they have a prescription for marijuana?

Don't live in a Med. Marijuana State, the Federal Government does not recognise Marijuana as a legal drug under any cercumstances.

5. Does your E & O policy require drug testing?

We do not carry E&O, we are self insured.

I like a management system that test if any of the following situation arises:

- Suspicious reasons
- Near miss / Accident

I would suggest most companies should consider having "imbeciles" testing. That would save them a lot of money, that's for sure. There are a lot of drug-free imbeciles that are quite dangerous in the work place. How do we weed (pardon the pun...) them out?

I've been tested 4 times in the last 5 years. The last three times were for companies where they were grounds for immediate dimissal for a positive test. The first one was for a company that allowed one positive, you were on one month unpaid leave and then retested. If the second test was positive you were gone. Most were a 5 panel exam (marijuana, amphetamines, opioids and two more that I don't remember). There are tests now that provide almost immediate results (5 minutes), those were the last two I took. Some of the larger industries require drug tests for all contractor employees to be tested before being allowed on the property.

Andy

[sarcasm]remove warning labels and let nature take it's course.....[/sarcasm]:-/ :-/ :-/ :-/ :-/ :-/

> 1. Do you or does your Company perform drug tests on perspective employees?

We reserve the right to randomly test (announced and unannounced) in our company handbook, but in most cases, contractors, agencies and owners of a variety of our projects have drug testing policies.

> 2. If so, what drugs would prohibit you or your company from employing a person who tested positive?

Withourt getting into pharmacy classes, alcohol and illegal drugs are banned. The testing lab we use has compiled a list of drugs which are generally considered to be flags. Any positive for one of those drugs is cause to terminate employment. Prescription drugs which may create a hazard or unsafe condition may require the taking of sick days or vacation days.

> 3. When a drug test indicates a positive result, would different standards apply with respect to the position offered?

Probably not.

> 4. If you live in a “Medical Marijuana” state are you legally discriminating against a perspective employee by not employing he/she because they have a prescription for marijuana?

Not in such a state.

> 5. Does your E & O policy require drug testing?

It requires that the company have a drug testing program in place.

Heck of a fine idea.

I think I'll schedule myself for a surprise drug test next Tuesday morning.:-$

You would fire someone for alcohol? How much? Would that be abusive or just on the job? I know after a tough board meeting I have a drink - I would never survive otherwise.

I am in a small family company. Father started the firm, Mother runs the office and books, Wife does most of the filings, Aunt drafts, distant Cousin is in the field, Family friend is new to the field, Engineer is some washashore and myself. Not much to worry about.

We did some Land Surveyor Workplace Drug Testing in the sixties.
Less in the seventies and by the eighties I think we stopped.
I was too hard to get motivated to get anything done.

> I'm interested in fellow Beerlegrers thoughts on the following...
>
> 1. Do you or does your Company perform drug tests on perspective employees?

I'm a solo operator, so no. However, if I start hiring employees I probably will.

> 2. If so, what drugs would prohibit you or your company from employing a person who tested positive?

Any illegal drugs or legal drugs without a prescription, except over the counter.

> 3. When a drug test indicates a positive result, would different standards apply with respect to the position offered?

No.

> 4. If you live in a “Medical Marijuana” state are you legally discriminating against a perspective employee by not employing he/she because they have a prescription for marijuana?

Federal law makes marijuana illegal, so there are no states where it is legal, whether or not the laws are enforced. (My opinion)

> 5. Does your E & O policy require drug testing?

Don't know.

>
> All comments, observations and general remarks are encouraged.
>
> Y’all have a great weekend! B-)

I 'get off' on fresh air so I don't worry !

DGG

Is that just you, or the air?
If it's the air, could you forward a bottle, please?

Thanks,

Don

[flash width=420 height=315] http://www.youtube.com/v/3aCfgiO_fqY?version=3&hl=en_US [/flash]

I live in a Medical marijuana state....I guess you'd treat is any other prescription use.

My company does pre-employment testing, random testing, accident testing, and suspicious activity testing.

We use a basic seven screen test on site and if that comes back positive, the perp gets sent to the clinic for a more accurate test.

In the case of alcohol, if you show up to work and still have beer fumes on your breath, you will be sent home.

If you drink on the job, you will be sent home.

For prescription drugs, if they impare your ability to react and work safely, you will be sent home.

This may seem harsh to some, but there is a lot of heavy equipment in use here and we can not allow a worker to be a danger to himself or somebody else.

The medical marijuana would be handled the same way as prescription drugs that impare your ability. You would be sent home until it is out of your system.

That being said, we don't have a drug problem here. Except for a couple of applicants, nobody has failed a drug test.

We get a lot of fake ID's here during the application process.

A group of Hispanic gentlemen showed up the other day and had Texas Drivers Licenses that not only had consecutive numbers, but also had nine numbers instead of eight. The raised birthdate was missing and no anti-copying water mark.

Please see item #4.

I have a strong opinion about this matter because I have spent way too much time trying to work with people who came to work drunk, people who smoke dope on the job, and management that looked the other way.

None of the companies I have worked for tested regularly and I wish all of them did. I believe the reason none of them tested their surveyors is because they knew that 75% of the staff (or more) would test positive. The only time I can remember anyone being tested, except when a specific job required it, was when two individiuals were let go for doing cocaine, and that was obvious before they were ever sent to be tested.

> I'm interested in fellow Beerlegrers thoughts on the following...
>
> 1. Do you or does your Company perform drug tests on perspective employees?

Yes

> 2. If so, what drugs would prohibit you or your company from employing a person who tested positive?

Any of the ones that were being screened for

> 3. When a drug test indicates a positive result, would different standards apply with respect to the position offered?

No
> 4. If you live in a “Medical Marijuana” state are you legally discriminating against a perspective employee by not employing he/she because they have a prescription for marijuana?

I dont live in one but here is my take. A person who needs marijuana for medicinal purposes has either cancer or glaucoma, neither of which would find surveying very comforting in their conditions. All of the other "patients" are nothing but addicts and no we wouldnt discrimiinate, we just wouldnt accept applications after 11:00am. That would eliminate 99.99% of them. the remainder would be SOL.

> 5. Does your E & O policy require drug testing?

I am not sure about EnO but our clients insurance requires pre-hire, post accident, and randoms. I got randomed two weeks ago, they do a saliva test. Not sure what all they look for but im sure it includes pot, coke, amphs, opies and barbs.

>
> All comments, observations and general remarks are encouraged.

May the force be with you, always.

>
> Y’all have a great weekend! B-)

You too

Heck of a fine idea.

Sounds good to me, I guess I will too!

Heck of a fine idea.

Fer you digger.....

[flash width=420 height=315] http://www.youtube.com/v/jyrl1G6MUz0?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0 [/flash]

Y'all have a great weekend! B-)