AGENCY EYES RANDOM DRUG TESTING PLAN

Ambulance Agency May Test Workers in Safety-Sensitive Jobs

For the third time in 10 years, the Kanawha County ambulance authority is
considering subjecting its drivers to the same random drug tests given to
bus drivers and city workers.

The authority's current policy requires supervisors to request tests only
when they have reasonable suspicion someone is drinking or using drugs on
the job.

It's a situation that has occurred about seven times since 1990 and has led
to less than a handful of terminations since then, Ambulance Authority
Director Joe Lynch said.

A new policy, up for discussion Friday by the ambulance authority, would
allow employees in safety-sensitive positions to be selected from a pool
for random testing.

More than 230 employees at the authority, from ambulance drivers and
paramedics to their supervisors, could be subject to the tests.

The Kanawha County Commission has been pushing hard for the policy change,
citing the large number of employees who spend time behind the wheel of an
ambulance or caring for patients.

Commissioner Dave Hardy said public agencies, like the authority, need to
catch up with the private sector, where random testing has become more common.

"When you balance the pros and cons, there are more pros," Hardy said of
the random testing. "Most, if not all, their positions are
safety-sensitive. They've been considering it for a long time, and I think
it's time they move ahead with it in some form."

Lynch said the board began talking about random testing two months ago, but
the cost and legal impact have delayed a change.

The ambulance board considered random testing in 1994 and in 2001, but
"it's always been against (an attorney's) advice to do that," Lynch said.

Karen Miller, attorney for the authority, said the agency's current
reasonable-suspicion policy has worked well because of the relationship
between supervisors and employees, and it also protects employees' privacy.

"With (supervisors) in the medical field, they are trained to recognize
those problems, especially when they are in close contact with employees
like they are at the ambulance authority," Miller said.

The city of Charleston began randomly testing most of its employees in
2001, and for agencies like the Kanawha Regional Transit Authority (KRT),
random testing is a requirement for federal funding.

Bus Authority Director Milt Back said it's been a couple of years since any
bus drivers tested positive for drug or alcohol use, but the random tests
provide a sense of security for the public.

"I think it is wise for agencies that deal with the general public to
demonstrate to citizens that they keep their employees, beyond any
reasonable doubt, free from alcohol and drug use," Back said.

About half of KRT's 150 eligible employees are tested for drugs each year
at an annual cost of about $9,800.

Michael Day, president of Health Research Systems EMSI, a Huntington-based
drug-testing provider, said the benefits of random testing outweigh those
costs for most agencies.

Day's company provides random testing for three ambulance authorities,
including Cabell County and the city of Charleston. It also performs
testing on ambulance drivers, police officers, trash haulers and
firefighters in eight other cities, eight county agencies like school
boards and senior citizens groups and five bus authorities including KRT.

Day said that in most cases, random testing is less expensive than tests
done when there is reasonable suspicion and no prior notice for the company.

Random tests also lead to fewer workers' compensation claims and lost-time
injuries, Day said, because they prevent substance abuse and resulting
health problems.

"Random testing is by far the best deterrent," he said. "It's not about
catching people, but it's about keeping good people on the job."