Anadell believes the program was the first in the country that covered all the crafts. The boilermakers union was part of the program for a couple of years before starting its own separate testing program, he said.

The Building Construction Resource Center program involves sending requests to a random sample of about 5 percent of the membership per month asking them to submit to testing within seven days. Anadell said by the time the mailing arrives, the worker may actually have only three days to take the test.

Over a year, 55 to 60 percent of the membership is tested with everyone tested at least once every two years, Anadell said.

The rate of people testing positive runs about 2.5 to 2.7 percent, Anadell said.

"I don't see it as a big problem in our industry," he said.

The drug of choice still seems to be marijuana, followed by cocaine and then prescription drugs, he said.

The program's cost is covered by the construction companies in the form of a contribution of 8 cents an hour per worker. The workers are given a stipend of $40 to pay for their time to take the test.

The fee covers the testing costs and an employee assistance program for workers who fail the test.