March 20, 2013

CCA will explore how to address construction jobsite drug use

KELLY LAPOINTE

DCN staff writer

The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) will establish a taskforce to explore how best to address drug and alcohol use in the construction industry, concluded its board of directors at its recent 95th annual conference.

“We have developed a culture of safety in our companies. We’ve worked very hard to get people to believe that’s what they should have, should we not be doing something very similar in the area of drugs and alcohol?” asked 2012 CCA chair John Schubert, during the board of directors meeting.

>Ian Steer, director and general manager of Aluma Systems Inc.>, brought the notion of developing a nationwide program on drug and alcohol use to the board after reading an article last year about the formation of the Construction Coalition for a Drug and Alcohol-Free Workplace (CCDAFW) in the United States.

The coalition, composed of five of the largest construction trade associations in the U.S., aims to create a drug- and alcohol-free construction industry by providing companies and organizations with the resources necessary to implement drug- and alcohol-free policies into their business practices.

Companies can pledge on the CCDAFW website that they “will take reasonable action to create and maintain a workplace free from substance abuse.”

Steer spoke of his personal experience two years ago, when he received an anonymous tip that drug use was occurring on a jobsite.

“To deal with the situation, we found that there was no portal where you can go through to find information on what to do,” he said.

Steer would like to see an industry portal where members can get help in finding proper channels to deal with substance abuse such as phone numbers, literature, policy templates and ways of flagging substance abuse on construction sites.

Schubert recognized that there is a Canadian drug and alcohol program that has become an accepted practice, but said the issue goes beyond it.

Steer’s comments sparked discussion around the board of directors table as many business owners shared their own experiences with drug and alcohol use on their jobsites, despite their companies having drug and alcohol policies.

Schubert said he has tried to get the message across to his employees that drug and alcohol use impacts sober workers.

“You’re 15, 20 feet in the air, you want to make sure your ground man is certainly competent and sober and not under the influence of drugs because it does impact you,” he said.

Though many in the room had their own stories about incidents on construction sites with drugs and alcohol, they are looking for direction from the CCA that will determine how to deal with individuals’ addictions, to create a culture of drug and alcohol awareness, set national industry standards and have information available to employers.

Schubert recommended that a taskforce be created with a good mix of individuals that will report back as time goes on. For more information on CCDAFW, visit http://www.drugfreeconstruction.org.

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