Head of the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) of Bermuda this week denounced random drug testing, claiming that it was not the answer to obtaining a drug-free workplace.

Instead EAP executive director Deborah Carr advocated that managers and supervisors receive training to enable them to diagnose employees who are drug users.

And Ms Carr instructed Hamilton Lions, during their weekly meeting at Pier 6, on how to create a drug-free workplace.

Ms Carr said companies wishing to create a drug-free workplace should first look at establishing clear policies on the sale, distribution, and use of drugs in the workplace.

Education, she said, was an important part of creating a comprehensive programme.

"Employees at all levels of the organisation need to be provided with clear, factual and dependably accurate information about drug and alcohol use, abuse and addiction,'' Ms Carr said.

Companies should implement the EAP in the workplace, she added, since the programme ensured that the employee was getting the appropriate help. EAP could also assist the organisation in meeting their legal and policy requirements.

Ms Carr said of the 662 clients her organisation had treated between May and October last year 105 either had drug or alcohol-related problems. She said 10.3 percent were for alcohol problems, 5.5 percent were dry drug related problems -- which included use of prescription pills -- and 0.4 percent were for poly-drug -- or more than one drug -- problem.

"One might say that there's not much of a problem if you look at the percent,'' she said, referring to the statistics. "But the cost to industry is great.'' And Ms Carr went on to say that the EAP had noticed -- from November, 1995 to April this year -- an increase, with alcohol-related problems rising to 10.4 percent, dry drugs increasing to 6.5 percent, and poly-drugs accounting for one percent of all cases.

Ms Carr said firms needed a benefits structure and plan to enable employers to cover the costs of rehabilitation.

If employees were terminated instead of rehabilitated, she pointed out, the outcome would only be to create an unemployed population of users.

Although Ms Carr was not in favour of drug screening, she did outline three drug screen options open to employers.

Pre-employee drug screening, random testing and for cause testing (following accidents or incidents which raise suspicion) were available, she said.

But she stressed that managers should receive basic drug awareness training since "they are the individuals most likely to identify impaired employees''.

Ms Carr said some symptoms alcoholic employees exhibited included withdrawal from others, poor attendance -- usually Mondays or Fridays, mood swings or spending extra hours at work in a bid to keep up and hide their problem.

With drug abuse, she said, the possible symptoms were frequent illness, long visits to the bathroom, behavioural problems, prone to accidents and excessive absence.

Physiological warning signs included blood shot eyes, hyperactivity or excessive perspiration.

And she said managers or shop stewards should also be trained to recognise possible drug equipment, such as, short straws, bent spoons and plastic bags.

Ms Carr also stressed that companies should try to change the attitudes of all concerned.

"They should clarify the differences between use, abuse and addiction,'' she said. "They need to recognise that addiction is an illness.''