Industry-wide drug testing approved for all unionized construction sites in B.C.
VANCOUVER — Contractors and unionized construction workers in British Columbia are heralding what they say is a groundbreaking drug and alcohol testing policy.
But it hasn’t been tested in a practical sense yet and civil libertarians are skeptical.
The Construction Labour Relations Association and the Bargaining Council of British Columbia Building Trades Unions trumpeted the policy Thursday as the first industry-wide pact on substance abuse in Canada.
"One of the unique factors is that it is the only one negotiated between the two parties as opposed to the employer imposing it," said Clyde Scollan, president of the construction association that represents 350 contractors in the province.
A spokesman for the trades unions was not available to comment but Scollan said it was unanimously approved by workers in all 14 trades unions involved.
Drug and alcohol testing will be conducted on employees involved in workplace accidents or near misses, or when there’s reasonable suspicion of on-the-job impairment.
Drug tests before a worker is hired are also permitted, but those tests are voluntary.
In B.C., the policy would likely cover major industrial projects, which are usually all union. The home-building sector is almost entirely non-union.
Under the policy, the owner or client of the project can call for workers to be tested before the project begins, under what is called "pre-access testing."
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