PARISH APPROVES DRUG TEST POLICY

Now They're Required After Work Accidents

To comply with a request from its workers' comp insurer, the St.
Charles Parish Council unanimously passed an ordinance Monday
requiring all parish employees to take drug and alcohol tests after
work-related accidents.

Under the old policy, employees involved in such accidents were tested
only if illegal drug use was suspected, Chief Administrative Officer
Tim Vial said.

Though the former policy specified urinalysis as the kind of test
that would be used, the new ordinance allows any type of drug or
alcohol test because there are more options available now than in
1990, when the tests were first required, Vial said.

In addition to requiring random drug tests, the parish also tests new
employees and those under suspicion of being under the influence, Vial
said. And "several" employees have tested positive, he said.

Vial said that if employees test positive for drugs, they must
participate in a treatment program or be fired.

After treatment, workers are tested again, and if it's positive, they
are fired, Vial said.

"They have one strike, and then they're out," Vial
said.

New Sarpy resident Stanford Caillouet, a frequent critic of the
council, asked whether elected officials would have to be tested under
the ordinance.

Vial said the ordinance doesn't require elected officials be
tested.

"What can you do to them?" Vial asked. "You can't remove them from
office."

In 1990, elected officials, including Parish President Albert Laque,
who is required to take the test as a parish employee who drives a
parish vehicle, and all council members took the test voluntarily,
Vial said.

No one tested positive for drugs or alcohol, he said.