Health & Safety Conference Society of Alberta
November 8, 2016
Managing Drugs and Alcohol in Alberta
Workplaces
Shana Wolch & Justin Turc
McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca
Drug and Alcohol Testing
¬ Balancing of competing interests
¬ Employer’s duty to provide safe and healthy
workplace
¬ Employee’s privacy rights and human rights
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Agenda
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Types of Drug and Alcohol Testing
Methods of Drug and Alcohol Testing
Legal Challenges to Testing
Jurisdiction of AHR
Dependencies
Policies
O&G Industry Examples
Take Aways
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McCarthy Tétrault LLP / mccarthy.ca
Types of Drug and Alcohol Testing
¬ Types of testing
1. Pre-employment and pre-access
2. For cause: post-incident
3. For cause: reasonable suspicion
4. Random / periodic
5. Return to work / duty
6. Follow up program
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Types of Drug and Alcohol Testing
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Methods of Drug and Alcohol Testing
¬ Types of testing procedures
¬ Drugs
¬ Urine sample
¬ Point of collection (screen)
¬ Oral fluid
¬ Alcohol
¬ Breath analysis
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Legal Challenges to Testing
¬ Variety of applicable
requirements and
obligations
Human rights
Common
law
Privacy
Labour arbitration
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Legal Challenges to Testing
¬ Wrongful dismissal civil actions
¬ Human rights complaints
¬ disability vs recreational use
¬ Labour arbitration grievances
¬ Privacy complaints
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Jurisdiction of Alberta Human Rights
¬ The AHRC does not take jurisdiction on whether an
employer can test.
¬ AHRC may take jurisdiction when:
¬ A refusal to accommodate a substance dependency to the
point of undue hardship;
¬ Adverse job action taken against an employee or union
member based on a perception of substance dependency
(e.g. pre-employment testing);
¬ Potential of a discriminatory drug and alcohol policy (e.g.
provides for automatic termination for failing testing); or
¬ an employee has a substance dependency and fails testing
for drugs or alcohol but is not assessed/accommodated.
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Drug and/or Alcohol Dependencies
¬ Assessment of an employee’s drug or alcohol
use by a qualified professional
¬ Accommodation to the point of undue hardship
¬ Leaves of absence
¬ Modified (non-safety sensitive) duties
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Drug and Alcohol Policies
¬ Identify purpose and fitness for work
expectations/exceptions
¬ Identify types and methods of testing
¬ Workplace searches?
¬ Assessments
¬ Accommodation
¬ Policy violations and potential consequences
¬ Consider contractor issues
¬ Consider privacy, human rights and OHS
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Oil and Gas Industry Examples
¬ Alberta (Human Rights) v Kellogg Brown &
Root, 2007 ABCA
¬ Construction company working on upgrader
refinery
¬ High accident risk
¬ Post-offer/pre-employment drug testing
¬ Not terminated for perceived drug addiction
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Oil and Gas Industry Examples
¬ Entrop v Imperial Oil, 2000 ONCA
¬ Oil refinery
¬ Comprehensive drug and alcohol testing policy
¬ Distinguishes between alcohol and drug testing
¬ No random or pre-employment drug testing
¬ Random alcohol testing is reasonable for
safety-sensitive positions
¬ For cause alcohol and drug testing is
reasonable
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Oil and Gas Industry Examples
¬ Communications Energy and Paperworkers
Union of Canada, Local 30 v Irving Pulp &
Paper, Limited, 2013 SCC
¬ Grievance challenging random alcohol testing
¬ Paper mill, dangerous work environment
¬ 8 alcohol-related incidents in 15 years
¬ Random alcohol testing not justified
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Take Aways
¬ Have a drug and alcohol policy
¬ Train employees on the drug and alcohol
policy
¬ Implement and use the drug and alcohol policy
¬ Consider the law
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Questions?
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