Compulsory drugs testing

[vduben]

If some one put something in my drink I would know! and would be down the cop shop!

own on the floor more like dude!!!! but down the cop shop the next day:icon14:

[Jason James Gairn]

Of course its legal to smoke dope in Amsterdam in coffee shops, which adds a new dimension. Ketamine is used for short surgery ops On expeditions. It's sold openly in chemists in the Himalayas. Course it might be out of your system well before a spot check back at work.

So the actual drug check is flawed. The guys I know who do trees on the rail, have spot checks

 

Personally I'd like to see idiot testing on a regular basis. Would be more effective in combating accidents.

[arbormaster]

I'm with you cats falk i know a few people that smoke at work and they are very competent. They are quicker, safer and take more pride in their work than the 'straighties'. obviously its different for each persons. An idiot or competence test would get my vote.

[Patchwork]

just over a year ago when i was breaking into the arb industry, the first company i worked for 10 outta 12 guys in it smoked weed, from the second they stepped into the yard in the morning till when they got into their car at the end of the day. i worked as a groundie for a while, but was allowed to climb every now and then. i didnt feel safe at all when i knew the 3 guys on the ground were stoned and i didnt have a clue what i was doing in the tree. my boss didnt smoke, but loved 3-5 cans at the end of the day, befor driving me back. i remember one time we all got back to the yard, he drunk about 6 cans, got and emergency call out, then drove 3 of u down the M25 to a job an hour away. needless to say im not working in that company any more, and have almost finished the first year of my ND course at merrist wood, which has taught me the importance of saftey in this industry. in future i will be doing trial periods with companys for my peice of mind rather than theirs.

 

and i used to smoke massive amounts but quit 2 yeas ago after a week period of constant panic attacks, this is one of the reasons i wanted to get into tree work, to be incontoll of my fear, lucky for me it worked and im the most happy iv been in years.

[MasterBlaster]

"Stoned."

 

Such a subjective term.

[Patchwork]

what else would you call somone who has smoked a spliff? i would have used "...i didnt feel safe at all when i knew the 3 guys on the ground were slightly altered due to their synapses miscomunicating because to the level of THC in their system" but thought stoned fit the bill pretty well.

[Steve Bullman]

indeed

[Patchwork]

i dont have a problem with people who smoke weed in genral, its just i think their is a time and a place. i wouldnt be happy with somone groundsmaning for me if i knew he wasnt right, but i would feel the same about if he was pretty ill that day. like somone has said befor, tree work is dangerous enough as it is, adding recreational drugs into the mix isnt gonna improve injury/death stats is it. just gives health and saftey more reason to make all tree work carried out from a MEWP.

[yaxleylad]

I stopped on Nov 11 1987. Prior to that had smoked morning nnoon and night for the previuos 6 or 7 year's, yyes I was mellow in the various jobs I did during that period of time, including electro plating (with conc sulphuric acid), demolition for Ivor Rich (Perched on I beam's with pneumatic drills breaking concrete floor's 8 story's up-no harness's or even H&S back then) , security work (just at the time when the IRA blew up harrod's) , gawd knows how I managed to only have 2 bike crashes and escaped srious injury or death. It was the invincibilty factor that bothers me now thinking about weed use, I still get nasty flash back's of a time when me and a mate run at full speed along the parapet of a 7 story building when we were on a buzz, one gust of wind and we'd have been history.

I've never been up a tree stoned, or with another stoned chainsaw user, but have sinceworked in various scenario's with folks who were using hash/weed, or a pallet fixer who used speed (he was scary especially when the nail gun's were flashing about). Several did get the push including fork lift driver's, and I believe that was down to someone else in management objecting, not a test; official company policy with one (large american) company was drug or alcohol use at work was an instant sackable offense. Should there be a test? If it works equally and fairly, fine, but things being what they are folk will no doubt devise ways and means to dodge.

[Jason James Gairn]

Should there be a test? If it works equally and fairly, fine, but things being what they are folk will no doubt devise ways and means to dodge.

 

The dodging is very true, but equally the testing would be woefully inacurate and unfair. The only way to police it will be by not working with or employing `stoned' people as opposed to people who smoke in down time.