DRUG-TESTING EYED BY COUNTY AS WAY TO CURB WORKER'S COMP COSTS

CLINTON - A proposal to launch a drug-testing program for new hires and
county employees involved in on-the-job accidents has been sent to the
Anderson County Commission's personnel committee for the preparation of a
policy. "We need to see what rights we have as a commission to do this,"
said Commissioner Wimp Shoopman of the proposal.

"We need a (drug-testing) policy that all elected officials can agree on,"
said Connie Cox, the county's insurance manager.

Members of the commission's operations committee were told that enacting a
drug-testing policy would result in a hefty savings in worker's
compensation payments made by the county.

Anderson County this year paid $484,708 in worker's compensation insurance
premiums, said Mark Fogarty, loss control representative with the Local
Government Insurance Pool, which handles the county's worker's compensation
claims.

He said that if the county trimmed such claims by 5 percent, it would
result in overall savings of $15,319 annually.

Features of a drug-testing program would include:

* Tests of prospective employees who apply for the average of 150 job
openings on the county payroll each year.

* Tests of employees involved in on-the-job accidents.

* Random drug testing of employees with commercial driver's licenses.

It would cost an estimated $8,816 a year to launch a drug-testing program
for county employees, Fogarty told members of the operations committee
during their Dec. 10 meeting.

He said national surveys, have determined that one of every 12 employees
uses either illicit drugs or alcohol. In Anderson County government, he
said, that would translate into about 40 employees.

Statistics show that substance abusers are three times more likely to be
involved in on-the-job accidents and five times more likely to file a claim
for worker's compensation, Fogarty said.

Last year, he said, the average cost per worker's compensation claim filed
with Anderson County government was $9,489.

In other matters, operations committee members recommended that the full
commission consider a proposal to buy the TVA land where the Claxton
Community Park is for $5,000.

The wooden playground, built on TVA land that is part of the Bull Run Steam
Plant complex, was constructed by volunteers in a project spearheaded by
members of the Claxton Optimist Club.

If the county assumed ownership of the playground, it would also accept
responsibility for maintenance of the facility and grounds.

Shoopman said he was told that while the park land could be sold for
$5,000, the county would be asked to pay an estimated $10,000 for the
"paperwork" associated with that transaction.

"I believe there are other legal issues that need to be resolved,"
Commissioner Jim Ed Wallace said of the proposal.