MINERAL FOLLOWING STATE'S LEAD, REQUIRING DRUG TESTING OF WORKERS ON LARGE
CONSTRUCTION JOBS

Commission President Janice LaRue Said Nearly All Projects Budgeted At
$25,000 Would Require The Testing Anyway, As Those Generally Have Some
Portion Of State Funding.

KEYSER, W.Va. -- Matching its own policies to those of the state, the
Mineral County Commission approved requiring contractors who are awarded
bids totaling $25,000 or more do random drug testing of construction employees.

"In the construction industry, there is 15 percent usage of illegal
substances," Larry Young of the Alliance of Construction Trades said at
Tuesday's commission meeting. "We are just asking the county commissioners
to adopt the guidelines put in place by the state."

The regulation requires that contractors hired for large county projects
show evidence that they do some form of drug testing on their employees.

Young said larger contractors tend to do this for the sake of lowering
insurance costs, but smaller contractors can have employees tested at local
hospitals.

The nine-screen test that is the standard generally costs $75 per person,
which would be a cost to the contractor, not directly the county's
responsibility.

He added that projects with state funding would be required to use
contractors who do the drug testing.

Commission President Janice LaRue said nearly all projects budgeted at
$25,000 would require the testing anyway, as those generally have some
portion of state funding.

Mike Bland, county coordinator, said as long as this wouldn't complicate
hiring contractors and workers for smaller jobs, this would not likely
affect local, smaller companies.

Wayne Spiggle, commissioner, questioned whether there has been any proof
that testing helps to prevent drug use among construction workers.

The threat of being caught is one of the biggest deterrents, Young said,
but disciplinary action would be left to the hands of the employer, not the
county.

Young said one of the biggest problems abuse of prescription drugs. These
would show up on a drug screen, and a person who tests positive must then
show a prescription for the drug or face disciplinary action.