Masonry Magazine October 2006 Page. 27
The good news is that more construction companies are implementing drug-free workplace programs that involve drug testing.
"Drug use was not running rampant through our company, but as we have come to realize, even one user on the job is not worth the risk of all the other employees on the site, no matter how good of a worker the user may be," said Damian L. Lang, president of Lang Masonry Contractors & EZ Grout Corporation in Waterford, Ohio.
Drug Testing as an Investment
EVERYONE at Lang's company is required to take a drug test before being hired and randomly thereafter. The testing, which started five years ago, has actually increased employee morale, Lang said.
"By implementing the [drug] policy, we let everyone know we care seriously about the people we employ," Lang said. "We also discovered a decrease in equipment abuse, fewer fights on the job, and fewer complaints from general contractors about some of the things our people were doing on the projects."
Although Lang initially believed that employees' habits were their own business, he soon realized how other workers were impacted.
The good news is that more construction companies are implementing drug-free workplace programs that involve drug testing.
"As we were growing and getting more people in the field, some of the best employees started putting letters in the suggestion box that said we needed a drug-testing program," Lang explained.
GBC Concrete and Masonry Construction Inc. in Lake Elsinore, Calif., also sought to balance respect for employees with the need to maintain a safe, productive and drug-free work environment, said Tom Daniel, company president and Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) vice president.
The company's position is that drug and alcohol abuse is incompatible with employment, so it tests employees for drugs.
"The safety of our workers is our main priority," Daniel said. "We find it [the company's drug policy) also promotes an environment of reassurance between employees. It is good to know that the person working next to you is going to perform in the safest possible manner."
Indeed, employees who abuse drugs can seriously compromise safety. Lang, who also conducts business seminars that cover drug testing and has written a book for mason contractors, points out statistics that are sure to grab mason contrac
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