PORT DRUG TESTS CATCH CASUALS

About 18 percent of prospective casual workers at Port Nelson have tested
positive for illegal drugs since mandatory testing was introduced in November
last year, the port company says.

The results are comparable with two other regional employers, New Zealand King
Salmon and Weyerhaueser New Zealand, which have reported positive testing rates
from about 10 percent to more than 20 percent.

The Government laboratory ESR says Nelson's positive drug test rate is higher
than other places in the South Island.

But the percentage of people testing positive at the three companies has
declined since testing was first introduced.

Port Nelson's testing applies to all new appointments within the company,
including internal transfers.

The higher numbers of positive tests have been found only among casual workers
- - 13 out of 72 casual staff who have applied since November have tested
positive.

Only one out of 41 permanent employees have tested positive since testing for
them was introduced in September 2001.

The company now plans to test workers where there is reasonable cause to
suspect the influence of illegal drugs following a workplace incident.

Workers employed by the company before the introduction of testing have not
been screened.

Port Nelson sends urine samples to the Institute of Environmental Research and
Science, which tests for cannabinoids, opiates, cocaine, amphetamines and
benzodiazepines.

Port Nelson chief executive Jim Williamson said drug and alcohol testing was
introduced as a health and safety precaution because much of the company's work
involved heavy equipment and machinery.

A person who tested positive would not be employed by the company, he said.

Weyerhaeuser New Zealand harvest operations manager Ian Reade said all of the
company's more than 500 employees were subject to pre-employment, reasonable
cause, post-incident and random drug and alcohol testing.

Mr Reade said the testing programme was introduced in 2000-2001 and targeted
about 200 workers every six months.

When testing was first introduced, between 20 and 30 percent of workers were
testing positive. But the last six-month period had only recorded a 10 percent
positive rate.

A positive test did not necessarily mean automatic dismissal. Instead workers
were offered a programme of rehabilitation, education and counselling.

"What people do in their own time is their business. Our biggest issue is that
they are not impaired while they're at work," Mr Reade said.

New Zealand King Salmon Company chief executive Paul Steere said all new
employees had undergone drug testing since April 2001.

During that time, 430 tests had been carried out with 40 prospective workers
testing positive.

Mr Steere said there was about a 15 percent positive testing rate when it was
introduced, but the rate had since dropped to about 6 percent.

"People on the farms and in processing are working as a team and are reliant on
the good work of their team mates."

Sealord spokeswoman Merrill Coke said the company introduced pre-employment
testing in 1997 in response to concerns by fishermen "about the potential
effects of drug-taking at sea".

Although unable to provide exact figures, she said there had been a
"significant decrease" in positive testing over the years.

ESR workplace drug testing programme manager Shelli Turner said the number of
positive tests recorded in Nelson was higher than other parts of the South
Island.

She said the trend might be explained by Nelson's favourable cannabis growing
climate and the culture of the area.