JOB DRUG TESTS, POSITIVE RESULTS ON THE INCREASE

The number of employers requiring drug screens for employment has
risen steeply as companies try to meet federal workplace rules and
limit their liability, according to company officials and testing
firms. "It's becoming an acceptable part of the hiring process," said
Dr. Robert Bennett, who owns a testing facility in Charleston.

Bennett has been involved in the drug testing industry since the Drug
Free Workplace Act of 1988. That act mandated that all federal
agencies and any business recipients of federal grant money or
contracts be drug-free.

And there has been a 40 percent increase in pre-employment positive
tests at Drumm Enterprises Inc. of Greenville, said Cheryl Lunn,
occupational health coordinator. The facility processes about 150 to
200 urine samples a month for area companies.

The increase in failed tests coincides with a 50 percent increase in
businesses requesting pre-employment drug screens, she said.
Businesses with less than 50 employees make up the bulk of the new
business. Pest control companies, water carriers and landscapers are
all on the list of new clients, she said.

The tests aren't anything new to Allie Mellentine, 23. In Chicago,
where she worked in high school, every temp job required a drug test,
she said. A drug screen was necessary before she could start her job
as event marketing accounts coordinator at a marketing and
communications concern in Greenville.

"In most situations, I think it's a waste of money unless someone
gives an employer a reason to think they use drugs. Obviously, people
operating heavy machinery should be tested, though," she said.

Many times smaller companies, especially contractors, are beginning to
drug-test to comply with the policies of large companies they contract
with, Lunn said. Some large corporations require a drug screen before
an employee can even step onto the premises.

Also, large corporations receive discounts on liability insurance and
workers' compensation if they drug-test their employees, Lunn said.

Most tests look for five substances: marijuana, cocaine, PCP, opiates
and amphetamines, said Lunn. Companies can also request that other
substances be added to the list.

All potential BMW employees are required to submit hair for drug
screens, said spokeswoman Bunny Richardson. "It's part of selecting
dependable, responsible, qualified people for hiring. It's part of an
overall process. It's like checking references," she said.

Employees in the industries regulated by the U.S. Department of
Transportation must submit to pre-employment, random and post accident
drug testing, said David Longo, spokesman for the office of federal
motor carrier safety administration, a division of the DOT. Included
are any bus or truck drivers holding a commercial driver's license and
engaging in interstate commerce, he said. At Floyd and Beasley
Transfer Co., a computer randomly chooses employees for testing, said
manager George Greer.

"There's always a certain element in any job force that needs to be
weeded out," he said. It hasn't been a great problem, but over the
years, the company has culled some drivers, he said.

Bill Teichman, president of Operation Drains Corp., has randomly
tested his employees for more than 10 years, he said. Employees are
less likely to use drugs if they know a test could be around the
corner. Teichman has about a dozen employees. Sometimes potential
employees are also tested, he said.

Since 1985, Michelin has drug-screened all job candidates, said Andy
Delscamp, manager of community relations. Once employed, "absolutely"
every one of the company's 4,300 employees at the Greenville County
plant is subject to random drug testing, he said.

"We need everyone to be fully cognizant, fully capable and operating
with the best judgment they can at all times," he said. "In a
manufacturing environment, safety is our No. 1 concern. If you are on
a line with tire-making equipment, driving a forklift or operating
heavy machinery, you cannot be impaired for your own safety, but there
are people around you relying on your judgment and you being able to
safely perform your job."

When an employee is involved in a safety-related issue, a drug test
will follow within a few hours, he said.

Noting that drugs were a growing problem in society, Greenville
Hospital System began drug-testing its employees seven years ago, said
human resources vice president Douglas Dorman.

"You can't have 7,500 employees and not have some low percentage of
the population with a substance abuse problem," he said. "We wanted to
keep that at an absolute minimum."

Employees have the option of admitting a substance abuse problem and
getting free help from an employee assistance program, he said. "We
recognize it as a disease and we want people to get help," he said.

More clients than ever are testing all employees, said Julie Godshall
Brown, vice president of Godshall Staffing Services, which places
predominantly clerical, accounting and office support, as well as some
manufacturing companies. Many times, people who didn't have a drug
test pre-employment will be randomly tested once employed, she said.

"The companies that don't test become targets of drug users," she
said.