EMPLOYERS URGED TO EMBRACE DRUG TESTING

Minister of National Drug control Wayne Perinchief has urged the 75
percent of employers on the Island who do not have 'drug-free
workplace' policies to put measures in place.

Mr. Perinchief said a survey of 500 companies carried out by his
Ministry showed that "a reasonable number" do have policies embracing
drug testing at work.

However, he urged those who are not yet on board to seek advice from
the National Drugs Commission on developing a package to combat the
scourge of drugs.

"I want companies to do this on their own rather than try to twist
their arms," he said. "We want every employer to have a drug-free
workplace policy and provide for drug-testing their employees." He
added: "It's my information that the civil servants are in the
process of of upgrading or determining their policy. The civil
service are aware of the Ministry's wish to get the ball rolling and
I think they have started to initiate that.

"There are other agencies like the Police, Prisons and Customs that
are also looking or reviewing their policies at present with a view I
believe to compliance, although it's early days."

He added that he is pleased the Department of Public Transportation
already has drug testing in place for bus drivers.

Cabinet Secretary John Drinkwater told The Royal Gazette that plans
for a new testing policy are indeed in the pipeline, although still
in the formative stages.

The civil service has a ban on alcohol and drugs within the workplace
under its current code of conduct and provisional work is being done
to bring in drug testing in the near future which would include
pre-employment testing, he said.

Mr. Drinkwater added that this would work in conjunction with the
current employee assistance programme.

Bermudians Against Narcotics campaigner Takbir Sharrieff has spoken
out in the past on his desire for all Ministers to be drug-tested as
well as Police and prison officers.

He said yesterday it is possible to legislate for mandatory drug
testing in these areas, whereas it is harder for private-sector
employers to enforce a drug testing policy through contractual
arrangements.

Of Mr. Perinchief's comments that the Civil Service, Police and
others are reviewing their policies, he said: " That would be nice.
We will keep pushing until it's put in place."

However, he added: 'They should have got a move on a long time ago to
show that they are serious."

Mr. Perinchief had spoken about the issue as the Bermuda Hospitals
Board unveiled a new drug-testing service yesterday. The BHB is sole
agent for the Psychemedics Corporation which uses a patented hair
analysis method for drug detection. Speaking yesterday at a workshop
on the service, R. Scott Pearman, Director for Human Resources at
BHB, said research showed workers who abuse drugs have 15 times the
absenteeism rate of those who do not. They have 300 percent higher
medical costs, are 30 percent less productive, and are three times
more likely to steal. They are nearly 50 percent more likely to sell
drugs to other employees. The BHB itself has a policy of conducting
tests where impairment of work performance or behavioural change is
observed. However, Mr. Pearman told The Royal Gazette it was too
early to say which other local employers might take up the new drug
testing option open to them.