Transcript DARRPP will not administer any alcohol and drug programs

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Current situation
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What DARRPP is, and what it isn’t
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Key messages
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Tactics
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Implications for participants
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Starting in the Fall of 2012, major employers in Alberta’s oil sands
and construction industries are introducing random alcohol and
drug testing at selected work sites
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A key part of this initiative is DARRPP, Alberta’s Drug and Alcohol
Risk Reduction Pilot Project
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DARRPP represents a concerted industry effort to implement and
evaluate random testing programs
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DARRPP was formally launched with an announcement on June
20, 2012
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What DARRPP is
What it’s not
DARRPPP is an industry-wide initiative to DARRPP will not administer any alcohol
introduce random alcohol and drug
and drug programs – those programs are
testing into Northern Alberta energy and the sole responsibility of each employer
construction industry work sites for
safety sensitive positions
DARRPP participants have agreed to use
a shared model for administering random
testing programs and will share statistics
related to their implementation
DARRPP participants must adhere to a
basic set of standards and practices for
the pilot project, but each employer will
customize their drug and alcohol policies
to suit their own unique needs
DARRPP’s mandate is to establish best
practices for random workplace alcohol
and drug testing and develop industry
guidelines for processes such as case
management, assessment and follow-up
DARRPP will not set industry standards;
it will report its findings and make
recommendations to industry and
government at the end of the two-year
pilot project
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Take a principled approach focused on improving safety and
reducing risk
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Show respect for human rights and privacy
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Recognize the human cost of alcohol and drug abuse and take
action to help employees who have dependencies to get help and
re-enter the workforce
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Alcohol and drugs pose serious risks to worker safety in Alberta’s
energy and construction industries.
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The abuse of alcohol and other drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine is
an unfortunate reality in our society.
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Use of alcohol and drugs -- and even the next-day hangovers after use of these substances -has been proven to increase fatigue, reduce alertness and slow reaction time. In an industrial
work environment these effects can only increase the risk of incidents, injuries and death.
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Alcohol and drug use and abuse poses unacceptable safety risks on work sites, where a
fleeting moment of inattention or a slow reaction can lead to a tragic outcome.
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Safety is not just about the worker, but those around the worker and those who will work in
the same area in the future.
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Industry has been working to address alcohol and drug issues for
many years.
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COAA developed a policy model (“The Canadian Model”) for dealing with workplace alcohol and
drug abuse that has been the construction industry standard since 1999.
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Policies are currently in place for drug and alcohol screening as well as pre-site access,
reasonable cause, random testing and post-incident testing. An important part of this is on-site
supervision – front-line managers who understand the program and who have the authority to
keep people safe.
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COAA has set standards for the provision of aftercare treatment programs for employees who
have dependencies.
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There continues to be a focus on providing education and awareness around the safety risks
associated with alcohol and drug use and abuse.
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Despite a long-term, concerted effort to reduce alcohol and drugrelated risks, our current practices are not as effective in identifying
at-risk workers as they could be.
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Voluntary testing programs such as the Rapid Site Access Program have been successful,
with growing participation rates, but they cover only a fraction of the workers in our industry.
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Reasonable cause testing, which is prompted by supervisors’ observations and interventions,
is not successful at identifying at-risk employees, despite hundreds of thousands of dollars
spent over the years on extensive supervisor training.
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Close to six times more alcohol and drug abuse problems are revealed in substance abuse
expert assessments after incidents occur than pre-emptive tests prompted by supervisor
observations.
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Along with effective training, sound policies and procedures, and
disciplined incident reporting, random testing in the workplace has
been proven to be an effective tool for improving safety.
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Random workplace alcohol and drug testing has the potential to identify safety risks before
they result in serious incidents.
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Since 1995, when the U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) implemented mandatory
alcohol and drug testing, positive tests for employees subjected to random testing have
declined by nearly 50%.
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A long-term U.S. study of the involvement of alcohol in fatal crashes in the trucking industry
concluded that the implementation of random alcohol testing was found to be associated with
a 23% reduction in fatal crashes involving large trucks.
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Random testing has been used in the Canadian transportation industry for many years for
truck drivers whose routes cross the U.S./Canada border. More recently, the Toronto Transit
Commission (TTC) approved the implementation of random alcohol and drug testing.
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DARRPP will evaluate and report on the effectiveness of
comprehensive workplace alcohol and drug programs in Alberta’s oil
sands and construction industries which include random workplace
testing.
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Alberta legal and human rights policy rulings have affirmed the right of employers to
implement drug and alcohol testing and rehabilitation policies.
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DARRPP was formed by industry stakeholders after two years of extensive consultation with
human rights and privacy agencies and independent experts.
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The project’s mandate is to establish best practices for random workplace alcohol and drug
testing and develop guidelines for processes such as case management, assessment and
follow-up.
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Working from a shared model, participating employers will introduce and monitor random
workplace testing programs and share statistics related to their implementation.
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DARRPP will continue the industry’s work to improve safety and
reduce risks while upholding human rights and privacy.
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DARRPP is led by a multi-stakeholder working group with broad representation that includes
the major oil sands industry employers and labour providers.
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Participants accept their obligations under the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act,
the Alberta Human Rights Act, and the Personal Information Protection Act.
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The ultimate goal of the pilot project is to find ways to improve workplace safety by reducing
the risks associated with drug and alcohol abuse.
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Participants will evaluate whether their employees who test positive have a dependency, and
will provide appropriate aftercare for those who do.
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If workers who test positive do not have a dependency, the outcome would depend on the
specific circumstances, and would be governed by the employer’s policies and practices. In
some situations a positive test with no alcohol or drug dependency would result in
recommendations for a treatment or education program. In other cases, the employee could
face disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
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Communication materials and templates are available to DARRPP
participants for use with employees, contractors and other
stakeholders, including
 Brochure
 Toolbox tips – for use by front line supervisors
 Video – “Sobering Thoughts”
 Poster
 Stickers
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All materials are available in the participants section of darrpp.ca
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darrpp.ca
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Basic home page
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Participants only section
 online application form
 data entry
 resources section with latest core documents
 discussion forum
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DARRPP official launch – target date June 20, 2012
 announcements inside participating organizations
 media release and backgrounder (Q&A)
 launch of DARRPP website
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Workplace awareness campaign (brochure, third party
endorsements, toolbox talks, stickers, posters, PowerPoint, video)
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Be consistent with DARRPP’s principles and messages. A
concerted approach helps all participants earn public and employee
trust and maintain credibility.
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Use DARRPP’s communication materials where appropriate and
customize them to your own needs.
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Engage front line supervisors and safety reps as early in the
process as possible; their support is critical to successful
implementation and evaluation of random testing programs.
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If you have any concerns or questions about DARRPP, contact
Project Administrator Pat Atkins at 403-730-9411.
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