Drug testing the right medicine

Bevan and his wife Wendy moved to a farm at Te Mapara in the Waitomo district six years ago and employ two full-time staff to help milk the 510 cows.

With increasing health and safety regulations and greater liability being placed on farm employers the couple decided to introduce a drug and alcohol policy to their employee contracts.

Providing a drug and alcohol-free workplace is part of their overall onfarm health and safety plan.

“Even our bank manager asked us about our health and safety plan because there are big fines involved now,” Bevan says.

“We never used to know how liable we actually are as an employer.”

Now they advertise all jobs stating the position is subject to a pre-employment drug test, which quickly thins out the applicants.

“I used to get 60 people applying for a job – now I only get three or four.”

The new employment contracts include a clause to do random drug tests throughout the season and incorporate a 90-day trial period. Having random drug testing is a way to protect farmer employers and to contribute to a safe work environment.

“We’ve only been doing two random drug tests a season but if I had suspicions I would do more. I would never employ people again without having that clause in the contract.”

Staff retention is now no longer an issue. Bevan’s current farm assistant is going into her third season and their 2IC is going into his second season.

The random drug testing onfarm is an important process to follow up, he says.

Bevan took a drug test along with his staff and had a reading for codeine – a prescribed medication – in his system.

It was an important lesson to learn. As well as illegal substances the drug test also picks up prescribed medication, such as painkillers like tramadol and codeine. These medications can have adverse effects on people’s reactions.

“I think a lot of people aren’t aware of that, even myself. I know more now and if I take strong painkillers then I should be questioning whether I should be operating machinery.”

Farmers should be educating employees they need to declare if they have taken any prescribed medication because most people are unaware of the side effects and the recommended precautions of some prescribed medication, Bevan says.

In the contract if a person fails a drug test disciplinary action follows and the outcome may be dismissal. Having a drug policy in place is not only best practice but it also sets a good precedent for young people entering the industry, Bevan says.

“I think for young staff maybe having it in their contract is a deterrent to start taking drugs – if there is peer pressure from their mates they can tell them they get tested at work.”

Bevan employed Hamilton-based AgResultz to incorporate the drug testing clause into the contracts, as well as to recruit staff and carry out the random drug testing onfarm. One advantage is AgResultz recognise people’s names because they’ve become familiar with workers shifting between farms. They also know the right questions to ask a person’s referee, he says.

“These people do it every day – they know what to ask, they know straight out what people are about.”

The process has added to recruitment and labour costs but now there is continuity and it has made staff management an easier and more relaxing part of the job.

“It wasn’t cheap to set it all up but it’s been well worthwhile. It saves me in the long-run, not just financially but the mental stress is a lot better now.”

Bevan and Wendy have bought a 30% equity share of a dairy farm at Otorohanga and will be recommending its lower order sharemilker has the same policies in place.

The 210ha milking platform at Te Mapara is 60% flat to rolling contour, with 15% rolling and 25% that is too steep to drive tractors on.

Because of the topography of the farm Bevan has a strict policy in place with machinery and staff are told to use the two-wheeler motorbike unless there is a specific reason to use the quad.