The ethics of Drug testing

[Redleg]

Excellent response. However, if the company doesnot have a random drug test policy .. or cyclic one ... then one must assume that their testing after an accident is simply a protective device to use in court to deny responsability for unsafe practices.

Hence my ethical issue. The company has a random drug test policy - but does not use it. All testing is only done if the employee gets hurt.

Here's the grabber; was the equipment safe - were all safety devices active, operative and ? Was the person operating it aware of the danger, and if so were they aware that some of the safety devices were turned off to increase productivity?

In short the answer is yes all safety devices are in place and the operator was trained and certified on the machine.

It is a unique situation when a company maybe aware of drug use in its facility, but is only concerned after an accident there in. It makes it look like they were willing to turn a blind eye, until it might actually affect their pursestrings.

Nice summation of my ethical issue with the way the policy is not followed by the corporate headquarters.

From example, when I was 18 I was injured on the job (making bearings for the F-4s ... many moons ago), was my fault (was to strong) and the removal of a safety device. Seems that by removing a flange that protects an operators hand from a wheel spinning at 3'000 rpm you can increase productivity by 5 pieces an hour (or $20 in submitted profit) - but, the problem was that to remove the fudgesickle gauge from the working piece the operator had to pull their hand directly towards the 3,000rpm - get the idea? Thing is, I thought it was me - 'til I signed a release and they fired me. At 18 we are all stupid to a point - me anyways.

Young and naive gets you in trouble more often then not.

Thing about this is, were I the injured party, I would certainly want my attorney to be looking into OASHA vialations (or threatening to do so) to make a deal. In todays environment - I doubt your company has anything to concern themselves with. Who gives a hoot about an American getting hurt on the job today? Stoned or sober.

Oh I hope she does go find a lawyer that knows what he is doing. It might make the company actually begin to follow their stated drug testing policy. Which I agree with. But I would addachocal testing to the random test, just to be fair and to insure a safe work place.

Edit: OPPs to much real information there

Now the kicker in my ethicial dilimena is from monitoring the actions of several employees on not only my shift - but the other two, I suspect to a degree of certainity that the plant has other associates using drugs when they are not at work. Well going to have to sleep on it tonight - and deal with it when I go to work tomorrow - ie swing shift today it seems