A potential permanent Team Member, Ethan* supplied a false urine sample in a container like this one earlier this year.
Ethan had been a casual forklift driver for a couple of years and jumped at the chance for permanent employment when it was advertised. Problem was: he had gone over to his mate's place the weekend before the pre-employment medical and had some marijuana. Hence the decision to provide a clean sample in the yoghurt squeeze container.
He nearly got away with it!
There was no indication at the workplace that Ethan would fail his medical. He always showed up on time for his shifts and performed his work to an excellent standard. He was popular and accommodating; a model employee who had potential to go beyond loading trucks.
When Ethan went for his medical, he supplied his "sample" with no issues from the medical centre. He was caught when he sat down for his hearing test as the yoghurt container poked out out his pocket as the medical assessor challenged it.
Truck drivers testing positive for drug-driving has increased dramatically over the past few years. Anecdotal evidence showed that drug use in warehouse and distribution staff is even higher, a concern with the interaction between Materials Handling Equipment and pedestrians.
The workplace had a Drug and Alcohol Procedure in place which helped manage the risks of a situation such as this. It was also a learning for the workplace and medical centre in being more aware of how false samples can be provided.
What are the risks in your workplace regarding drugs and alcohol?
How are you controlling them?
*not his real name.