On-Site Testing For Drugs To Start

StonerGrower

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Employers will be able to use an on-site oral screening kit to test their employees for drug use, under a new state law that goes into effect July 1.

The oral fluid drug screens, which are cheaper, faster and more convenient than urinalysis, were pushed for by the construction industry, which has been drug-testing its employees since the mid-1980s.

Although the law goes into effect in a couple of weeks, collective bargaining agreements will have to be amended before companies can start using these non-FDA-approved tests.

However, since the bill was backed by unions, management and the state, it is not expected to take long to adjust the contracts. The law applies to all employees whose contracts allow drug testing, such as those in the construction industry.

Kyle Chock, executive director of the Pacific Resource Partnership, an alliance between contractors and the Carpenters Union Local 745, said the construction industry pushed for the saliva swab tests as a way to decrease costs and save time while keeping job sites safe.

"Construction is a dangerous job to begin with, and we don't want to make it more dangerous by having people who are on drugs or alcohol," he said.

The cost savings are significant: $15 for a swab test versus $50 to $60 for a urine test, Chock said.

Contractors generally are working to meet a schedule, so random and periodic urine tests are rare within the industry because it requires employees to leave the job site.

This new law allows for the tests to be done on-site in a trailer or office.

The Hawai'i Carpenters Union was the first in the industry to start drug-testing employees. Two decades ago, about 30 percent of drug tests came back positive.

These days, it's about 3 to 5 percent, and most of those are from people who have been hired pending the results of their drug test, said Ron Taketa, financial secretary and business representative for the Hawai'i Carpenters Union.

Those already on the job tend to know, "You cannot use drugs and stay within the unionized industry any more," Taketa said. "We've gone a long way of working with our contractors to clean up our industry."

In a saliva test, a cotton swab is rubbed inside the mouth, and results can be available five minutes later.

By comparison, a urinalysis requires the employee to go to a clinical lab, and results could take four hours or more.

Taketa said the new tests will have to be worked into collective bargaining agreements to make sure that no one is penalized for a false-positive saliva screen, meaning that no action will be taken unless a urinalysis confirms the results.

The state Department of Health had some reservations about the new tests, but Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona noted that the results wouldn't be used to demonstrate civil or criminal liability.

"This is something that I think is going to be a great asset for employers, especially in the construction industry where public safety is a huge factor," said Aiona, who signed the measure into law last week while Gov. Linda Lingle was in Indonesia.


Newshawk: StonerGrower4 - 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Honolulu Advertiser (HI)
Author: Treena Shapiro
Contact: letters@honoluluadvertiser.com
Copyright: 2007 The Honolulu Advertiser
Website: The Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii's Newspaper Online
 
OMG please please please PLEASE change over to saliva testing, America!

I've done quite a bit of research on saliva pre-employment "swabbing" and everything I've read has said that it only detects drug use for up to 48 hours after said drug use. Reason being that saliva can only last so long before new saliva is produced and the old is filtered out (used to digest food, spit out, etc). If they switched over to saliva testing overall, then it would be MUCH easier to obtain a job. Since evidence of marijuana use can be in your urine for up to 12 weeks (3 months!!) if you are a regular heavy smoker, this would cut out so much of the worrying and fucked up "tricks" that people have to employ just to get a job.
 
This will allow them to do Random testing much easier as well. The point of the article was that most people do pre-employment only because random tests require the employee to leave work to go take it. This would allow them to merely call you into an office for your "random" drug test.
 
This will allow them to do Random testing much easier as well. The point of the article was that most people do pre-employment only because random tests require the employee to leave work to go take it. This would allow them to merely call you into an office for your "random" drug test.

That really does suck. I've never been at a job that did "random" screens, though. One place I worked at would do a pre-screen and then if you had an accident, they would test you.

Taketa said the new tests will have to be worked into collective bargaining agreements to make sure that no one is penalized for a false-positive saliva screen, meaning that no action will be taken unless a urinalysis confirms the results.

So there is still a ray of hope.

You have to admit that a changeover from pre-employment drug screening of urinalysis to saliva would be great, though. Possibilities of random drug screening being easier - THAT blows.
 
Wow, I'd vote out my union reps ASAP if they agreed to do this. Talk about invasion of privacy! Even if I wasnt a "drug user", would I want someone having the ability to call me into their office, demand a sample of my bodily fluids, and then scrutinize my results? No thank you, new union reps please. Doesnt this qualify as an unwaranted search and seizure???
-PM
 
I really wish they could make a test that could determine if you were actually high and not just testing for the non-psychoactive cannabinoids that don't prove that you're actually high but can fuck you up if you've smoked in the past month and didn't use a detox kit or w/e. What you do in your house/apt is your own damn buisness. People shouldn't go to work high, espeically in construction, but damn what you did the night before while you were NOT working should not be punishable
 
My uncle works construction and ALWAYS has his dugout and bat handy lol. Son of a bitch has always got weed. Old dude has some nice hookups. Sometimes I wonder how he gets past the drug tests
 
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