PARKERSBURG - While drug testing of employees may be a hot topic, the number of government employees who must submit to drug testing is surprisingly small.
While a drug screening is part of an overall pre-employment physical, the only employees who have to go through drug screenings are those who have their commercial drivers license or those who operate heavy construction equipment.
In the city of Parkersburg all employees, including police and firefighters, have a drug screening as part of a pre-employment physical.
Susan Bayles, personnel director, said after that the only two groups of employees have to submit to drug screenings.
"Employees with CDLs are required to be tested quarterly," she said. "Post-accident testing while operating a city-owned vehicle applies to all."
Bayles said the city has no say in who will be tested, but the city does have its say on what day the test will take place.
In Parkersburg the tests are done through the Mid-Ohio Valley Medical Group Occupational Health in Vienna.
"We have worked with them for a number of years," she said.
Parkersburg police Chief Gerald Board said the department does not require drug screenings outside of physicals. He said officers have to take three physicals before they are hired and a physical with a drug screening is required when an officer receives a promotion.
"Right now we do not have a testing requirement but it has been discussed," he said. "The opinion of most officers in the department is that there should be testing."
Steve Black, finance director and human resources representative in Vienna, said the city, like others, requires drug screenings for only those who have the commercial license or operate heavy equipment. He added drug screenings for other employees come only in a pre-employment physical.
Black said when tested two samples are taken to guard against false positives or lab errors. He said the tests in Vienna are also administered by Mid-Ohio Valley Medical Group Occupational Health in Vienna.
While there have been no positive tests, he said the policy would be a review to make sure the result was not tainted by the use of a prescribed drug. He said a positive would result in a 90-day suspension of driving and time on probation.
Black said the number of employees tested varies since the testing is done on a number of people who are members of the same consortium.
"We've had five in one month and we've had some employees who have not been tested in five years," he said.
Vienna police Chief Steve Stephens said the pre-employment physical includes a drug screening, but there are none past that stage.
Dianne Boggess, coordinator of safe and drug free schools for Wood County Schools, said the school system has no requirement for teachers, staff or students to be tested for drugs.
"The only employees who must be tested are those with CDLs," she said.
Bob Kimble, director of public works in Williamstown, said city employees with a CDL have been tested for several years.
"We participate with an Ohio township consortium," he said. "There are about 300 employees in that and we may have three or four people tested in a quarter or we may not have any tested for a year."
Kimble said the employees find they will be tested the day of the test.
"At the city building they may know a day or two before," he said. "They are called and notified of who will be tested and then they schedule the test at the hospital."
Kimble said he has been told the test list is random, it is simply the case of "pushing a button and the list is made up." He said once an employee was tested in consecutive quarters and others have not been tested in a while.
Since the testing has been implemented Kimble said the city of Williamstown has not had to deal with what to do if an employee comes back with a positive test.
"They would probably lose their job but we've never had that problem and I hope we never do," he said.
