DEATH SPARKS FOCUS ON OILPATCH DRUG USE

The death of a pipeline worker and the hospitalization of two of his
co-workers from apparent drug overdoses is raising questions about the
use -- and abuse -- of drugs and alcohol at oil and gas work sites.

On the day that a 41-year-old Ledcor employee was found dead, those in
the industry said they are astutely aware of drug usage and its
implications.

Wally Baer, CEO of Enform Canada -- a non-profit company set up by the
oil industry to create competent workers -- said it is much more
common for oil and gas employers to have drug and alcohol policies in
place because of the nature of the work.

"This industry has a lot of hazards. It's extremely important
(workers) are within the moment," he said.

"It's not just workers, but the public can be at risk if we make a
mistake in our industry."

On Thursday morning, police were called to a Ledcor work camp four
kilometres north of Oyen around 6:40 a.m. One man was found dead in
his room.

A fellow pipeline worker made the grim discovered early Thursday when
he couldn't wake his roommate up. The two others were hard to rouse,
police said.

"It appears that they had a drug overdose," said RCMP Const. Ray
Lucco. Alcohol and drugs were combined, he added.

Two men, ages 23 and 32, are in Oyen hospital in stable condition, he
said.

The job site was shut down.

Grief counsellors are expected to arrive this morning.

Senior Ledcor officials and safety personnel are at the
site.

"The safety of our employees is our top priority," said Dwight
Brissette, vice-president of health, safety and environmental
protection for the Ledcor group of companies.

"Our thoughts are with the families."

Workers live in a camp constructed of modular trailer
housing.

"We have an outstanding track record. We have a very comprehensive
drug and alcohol program. We follow the Construction Owners
Association of Alberta, which is the Canadian model that every company
in Canada follows."

RCMP major crimes units from Calgary and Edmonton have been called to
help with the investigation.

One man who works for Ledcor said the first he heard of the death was
when he was on the bus that shuttles employees to the work site.

He said he heard there were people drinking that night and then
someone handed out some pills.

He said a foreman told the busload of workers what had
happened.

"He just told us that one guy passed away and one guy was fighting for
his life," he said. "And then they called out, they asked for the guy
who gave them the pills and he come forward."

One man who lived in the same trailer as the deceased, but didn't know
him, said the camp site wasn't a place for partying.

"It's very quiet. Nine o'clock you don't hear nothing," the man
said.

One night clerk at a local hotel where many Ledcor workers stay said
the employees of the company were "hardworking guys."

She said the influx of workers into the town brings with it money that
supports local business.

"It's just a really unfortunate situation," she said. "I don't think
that that should put a paint brush on the whole bunch of the guys."

Baer said a committee, made up of company owners and representatives
from contractors, developed a drug and alcohol policy for the industry
that individual companies can use as a minimum guideline. The policy
- -- published last fall -- outlines responsibilities of the industry
and individual companies.

But Baer also said drug and alcohol abuse is not only found in the oil
and gas industry.

"It's a larger social problem that is found in the workplace, whether
it be oil and gas or anyone else," he said.

A spokesman for Syncrude echoed the sentiment.

Despite this incident, drug and alcohol abuse is a societal issue,
said Mark Kruger.

That company has a strict policy when it comes to drugs and alcohol
and conducts pre-employment testing, he said.

"We also do testing if there is an incident and the investigation team
on the scene deems perhaps drugs or alcohol may have been a factor in
that incident," he said.

Meanwhile, a spokesman with the Canadian Association of Petroleum
Producers said the health and safety of oilpatch workers is a top priority.

"Any kind of behaviour that compromises safety is unacceptable,
whether drugs, alcohol or reckless behaviour is concerned," Travis
Davies said Thursday.

In the small community, news of the death spread quickly.

"They're upset. Everybody's pretty quiet about it," said a woman named
Debbie, who works behind the counter at a local corner store
frequented by pipeline workers.

The 3,456-kilometre Keystone Pipeline is planned to transport crude
oil from Hardisty to the Midwestern United States.

The pipeline is destined to pass through Saskatchewan, North and South
Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois.

Oyen is located in eastern Alberta, near the Saskatchewan boundary
north of Medicine Hat.