AgriBusiness News May 2018

24 WAIKATO AGRIBUSINESS NEWS May 2018
The Drug Detection Agency
Farmers...
Gypsy Day is almost here and The Drug Detection
Agency Waikato wants you to be sure your houses are
absolutely clean and safe for the annual change-over.
TDDA Waikato general manager Graeme
Smith suggests the wise move is to call
for a meth test before the old tenants
move out and the new family moves in.
TDDA offers the most comprehensive
methamphetamine testing.
“Don’t go for cheap, settle only for individual
laboratory analysis and get the full
picture,” he said.
“It’s estimated that a lab producing a kilo of
methamphetamine creates seven kilos of toxic
by-product contaminating the property with
carcinogenic residue.
“The manufacturers of the drug move
around regularly to avoid detection, leaving in
their wake contaminated properties to be purchased
or rented out to unsuspecting families
and landlords.”
Clandestine methamphetamine laboratories
cost New Zealand property owners hundreds
of thousands of dollars each year, with some
premises used to manufacture the drug so contaminated
they need to be destroyed.
And rural properties are increasingly
becoming a target because of their relative isolation.
Establishment of P-labs in rural areas is
the elephant in the room and property owners
and investors need to be vigilant.
TDDA Waikato, based in Euclid Ave,
Hamilton, provides pre-purchase testing to
identify if a property has been used for meth
manufacture alongside a comprehensive range
of drug and alcohol management services and
testing for farmers.
“This service puts the power back in the
hands of the property owner and gives them
peace of mind in maintaining a drug-free environment,”
said Graeme.
Pre-employment drug testing is also crucial
to ensure that drugs don’t even make it through
the farm gate. The fact that a failed test rules
some Kiwis out of securing jobs probably isn’t
a bad thing.
“Pre-employment drug testing is the first
line of defence for any farmer to ensure no
potential farm worker is at risk of putting
themselves or others in danger in the workplace
through substance use,” said Graeme.
TDDA specialises in workplace drug and alcohol
training and testing, as well as pre-employment
testing, and last year conducted more
than 140,000 workplace drug tests.
Latest TDDA statistics show that employers
are placing a greater focus on health and safety
and implementing effective drug and alcohol
management plans, including policy development,
education and testing.
“This is great to see as it means employers
are being pro-active and stopping the drug use
before it even enters the workplace.”
He partly attributes this heightened awareness
of the danger of drugs and alcohol in the
workplace to the recent introduction of the new
Health and Safety at Work Act, which requires
a Drug & Alcohol policy to be implemented.
He also states that education is a vital part of
this process.
The latest TDDA statistics show that properly
trained and informed managers are also
creating a safer workplace.
“Some indicators of drug use include consistently
being late to work, lots of sick days,
tiredness, being easily agitated and either dilated
or constricted pupils.
The use of methamphetamine - or meth as
it’s known - is up.
“Meth shows strongly in our workplace
drug test results throughout New Zealand making
it the second most detected drug behind
cannabis. It’s more readily available than ever
before unfortunately, and businesses need to be
very aware that it crosses all levels of society
and all types of employees,” Graeme says.
He adds that the widespread use of meth is
affecting not only the workplace but also the
whole of the community. This is also reflected
in the increase in both volume and meth-related
violent crime.
QUICK FACTS
• Meth contaminated houses
have increased dramatically
over the last few years.
• Methamphetamine shows on
over 15% of positive tests.
• Employees who used drugs
are 51% more likely to have
increased medical claims
• Regular drug users are 3.6
times more likely to be
involved in a workplace
accident
• Some insurance companies
insist on a meth test between
tennants to keep policy up to
date.
GRAEME SMITH - GENERAL MANAGER 0274 881 364 | 07 850 5056 | graeme.smith@tdda.com