Australia is certainly not the only country facing issues with methamphetamines and not the only country with concerns about workplace drug use. In fact, we don’t need to look very far at all to find another country facing the same concerns.
According to the regional New Zealand news agency, The Northern Advocate, there’s been an increase in the number of Northland employees being caught with drugs in their system. Northland is a region on New Zealand’s North Island.
The Northern Advocate claims workplace drug use is a growing concern and points to testing in 2015. Of 5000 people tested, 7% or 350 recorded positive to drugs. Cannabis was easily the most common drug found in people’s system, accounting for 276 or 79% of positive tests. Of increasing concern, however, was the number of positive tests involving methamphetamines, which accounted for close to 20% of all positive tests. This is well up on 2014’s figures, in both total number and percentage of positive tests.
While the number of employees testing positive for drugs in Northland is higher than in previous years, part of this is possibly due to an increase in testing, due to new health and safety regulations that are about to come into effect. The regulations reinforce and increase the legal obligation on employers – including managers, owners, trusts, directors and governing bodies – to take all practical steps to ensure a safe workplace.
