

Web Staff, cp24.com





A TTC staff report recommends random alcohol and drug testing for employees, just months after an employee was allegedly caught with marijuana following a fatal crash.

The report, released Monday, suggests the TTC should amend its existing fitness for duty policy to include random tests for substances in an effort to improve safety.

TTC officials will discuss the report at a meeting Wednesday.

Random testing is coming up for discussion in the wake of a collision that killed 43-year-old Jadranka Petrova and injured 13 others, although the TTC isn't citing a link between the collision and the report.

In that crash, a TTC bus rear-ended a flatbed trailer.

The bus driver is accused of being in possession of marijuana at the time of the collision, but he isn't accused of being under the influence of any substance.

In a news release, the TTC downplayed the timing of the report, saying it considered random tests in September 2008 when a fitness for duty policy was implemented.

Random drug and alcohol tests weren't approved at that time, but staff indicated they would revisit the policy at a later date, the news release stated.

The current fitness for duty policy allows for alcohol and drug testing of employees in "safety-sensitive" positions, management roles and designated executive positions in the following situations:

Pre-employment/certification

Reasonable cause

Post-incident

Post-violation

Post-treatment

Random tests would strengthen the policy and act as a deterrent, the TTC said.

"Random alcohol and drug testing involves a breathalyzer test for alcohol and an oral fluid test for drugs, as is the case for post-incident and reasonable cause testing today," a news release stated.

The tests would detect impairment at that time and wouldn't reveal if the person is a recreational drug user, the TTC said.

A lab that would provide test results wouldn't reveal the levels of a substance, the agency said.

Random alcohol and drug testing of employees in the transportation sector are permitted by law in the U.S. In Canada, Greyhound and Coach Canada bus drivers are subject to random testing, the TTC said.

Windsor is the only Canadian public transit system with random testing in place, but it is reserved for drivers who operate buses that cross into the U.S.