TOWN EXPANDS DRUG TESTING OF EMPLOYEES

DANVERS -- The town has more than doubled the number of employees it will
randomly screen for drugs and alcohol starting next year.

"I am working to be proactive with our employees," Town Manager Wayne
Marquis said in a recent interview.

The number of employees who face the possibility of a random Breathalyzer
test for alcohol or a urine test for drugs will go from 60 to 150, about
half of the town's 300 employees, Marquis said.

This expanded program does not include teachers, police officers or
firefighters.

Among those positions facing random tests are the town manager and police
and fire chiefs, Marquis said.

The new testing regimen focuses on positions involving public safety,
children or someone who drives a town vehicle. About 30 custodians will
also be given random tests, as will the harbormaster and Recreation
Department director.

Those eligible for the testing include members of the American Federation
of State, County and Municipal Employees in units A and C, the Danvers
Independent Employee Group, which includes engineers, supervisors and
inspectors. The testing will not extend to clerical staff.

In Unit A, about 80 employees, including custodians, will be subject to the
tests. Unit C has expanded eligibility to six meter readers on top of 15
Electric Division employees.

The Danvers Independent Employee Group positions will have about 30 people
eligible.

About 20 department heads and division managers are now subject to testing.

"All of us would fall under this, without exception," Marquis said.

Danvers has screened certain employees for about 15 years, Marquis said,
but most of the testing focused on employees with commercial driver's licenses.

Not everyone eligible for the tests will be screened every year. About 25
percent of the eligible employees will take the alcohol test, and half
could be tested for drugs. Employees will not have to take both tests in
the same year, Marquis said.

If someone fails a test, the policy is "three strikes" for most units, said
Human Resources Director Larry Wood. The second offense might mean a
suspension along with counseling. Senior management will not get as many
chances.

The testing will cost about $3,500 a year.

"It's a modest investment," Marquis said. "It helps instill public confidence."