cheaters

[ballz]

I guess you missed the point.  You may be right on the Mcdonald's question, but the Fort McMurray part is irrelevant.  It isn't a Government job.  Then again, many of the employers up there also do some background checks as to suitability, and may in fact take that as a sign that you are an 'undesirable'.

Well the McDonald's part would lead one to believe that apparently you can't get a job anywhere, government or not, which is what kinda grabbed me.

And as irrelevant as this stuff is to the thread, as long as you can pass the drug and alcohol test the one time they test you (right before you get hired) you can work pretty much anywhere for anyone in Fort McMurray. There's plenty of people with criminal records as long as you can get 'em that manage to get jobs there.

But now I've hijacked the thread soooo yeah I'll try and contribute here. I've had to give original copies for everything. Meds, high school stuff, anything that needs somebody signature basically.

 

[Lumber]

And as irrelevant as this stuff is to the thread, as long as you can pass the drug and alcohol test the one time they test you (right before you get hired) you can work pretty much anywhere for anyone in Fort McMurray.

Huh?

 

[ballz]

Huh?

Yeah, stupid enough as it is, no one is allowed on the sites unless their employer has given them a drug test and an alcohol test (yes, a breathalyzer). Don't ask me why, sometimes I wonder how these people make millions and millions of dollars with some of the stupid stuff they come up with.

I actually didn't know I was being tested for alcohol, and when the person said "alcohol test" I was like "Well f**k I can tell you right now I'm going to fail that. I just graduated on Friday and I've been drunk ever since (this was a Wednesday)." When she turned around with a breathalyzer I realised why she was laughing at me to the point of choking.

 

[Greymatters]

Yeah, stupid enough as it is, no one is allowed on the sites unless their employer has given them a drug test and an alcohol test (yes, a breathalyzer). Don't ask me why, sometimes I wonder how these people make millions and millions of dollars with some of the stupid stuff they come up with.

I actually didn't know I was being tested for alcohol, and when the person said "alcohol test" I was like "Well f**k I can tell you right now I'm going to fail that. I just graduated on Friday and I've been drunk ever since (this was a Wednesday)." When she turned around with a breathalyzer I realised why she was laughing at me to the point of choking.

Although the drug testing is getting more and more common these days, thats the first Ive heard of a company using a breathalyzer test as part of the hiring process...
 

 

[ballz]

That's probably because it's so stupid ... I guess the big wigs think that a few hours without a beer proves you're not an alcoholic. I mean you pretty much have to TRY to fail it, unless you regularily shotgun a few cans during you're lunch hour or something? And it's not just any company, this is all sites, meaning CNRL, Shell, Syncrude, Suncor, etc, yeah, some of the biggest companies in the world.

 

[George Wallace]

Perhaps you are missing the other factor; and that is the Rules and Regulations regarding Drugs and Alcohol in most, if not all, Northern Communities.  This may not be a company induced policy, but a policy they have implemented to comply with the rules set out by Northern Communities and Territories due to problems of abuse by the Native population.

 

[ballz]

You could be right there, it's something I never considered, but I have never heard of it either. As far as I knew it was just part of the safety stuff they have on site, they're crazy about it. But it's only the sites that require it the breathalzyer, so I dunno.

Regardless of who's policy it is, it's still pretty pointless. Who can't pass a breathalyzer when you know the date and time you have to go get it done and everything.

 

[Greymatters]

Following up on the drug and alcohol testing, its a lot more common than I thought, especially if the organization is in the manufacturing sector and/or has links to the USA which has stronger rules allowing employers to use drug and alcohol testing as part of pre-employment.  Linked here is the page refering to Alberta employers:
http://www.albertahumanrights.ab.ca/publications/Information_Sheets/Text/Info_Drug_Testing.asp

 

[Rowshambow]

perhaps you were going to a dry camp (and you missed it in the instructions)....but I digress, when I joined, I only needed copies of my transcripts. but that was awhile ago

 

[dwalter]

I can see it making sense to do an alcohol check as part of the application process, because if someone is intoxicated during that phase, then it gives an employer a flag to watch out for whilst doing work as well. The only reason why I say it is because I had been talking with some chaps who work in construction site security, and they were telling a story about how on every site there is always at least one guy on the graveyard shift who will go into the electrical room with a bottle of his favourite. They drink a bunch, curl up and go to sleep in the cozy place, and therefor they are not doing what they should and any manner of things could happen.

 

[ballz]

perhaps you were going to a dry camp (and you missed it in the instructions)....but I digress, when I joined, I only needed copies of my transcripts. but that was awhile ago

No to that one for sure. I didn't stay in camp, I lived in town. Our company was also based in town, we just did a lot of work at site as contractors.

The CNRL camp has a bar out there, and they still require alcohol testing with the drug testing, so it's got nothing to do with dry camps. You need to do the testing regardless of whether you're going to camps or not. If you need to go out to site to replace a rusty bolt for your company, you need to have been drug and alcohol tested at some point before you're allowed to go replace that bolt.

 

[Greymatters]

I can see it making sense to do an alcohol check as part of the application process, because if someone is intoxicated during that phase, then it gives an employer a flag to watch out for whilst doing work as well. The only reason why I say it is because I had been talking with some chaps who work in construction site security, and they were telling a story about how on every site there is always at least one guy on the graveyard shift who will go into the electrical room with a bottle of his favourite. They drink a bunch, curl up and go to sleep in the cozy place, and therefor they are not doing what they should and any manner of things could happen. 

I think there are a few legal applications in this as well, such as precedent for individuals (you agreed to take the test before, why are you saying 'no' now?) or as a group (if applied to everyone no one can claim they are being singled out and targeted for punishment or profiling or denial of work opportunities), and the results can always be used at a later time to the company's advantage if liability isues ever come up...

 

[Celticgirl]

Yeah, stupid enough as it is, no one is allowed on the sites unless their employer has given them a drug test and an alcohol test (yes, a breathalyzer). Don't ask me why, sometimes I wonder how these people make millions and millions of dollars with some of the stupid stuff they come up with.

I actually didn't know I was being tested for alcohol, and when the person said "alcohol test" I was like "Well f**k I can tell you right now I'm going to fail that. I just graduated on Friday and I've been drunk ever since (this was a Wednesday)." When she turned around with a breathalyzer I realised why she was laughing at me to the point of choking.

If the workers are operating heavy machinery or doing another job that requires total mental alertness (not that all jobs don't 'require' that, but pushing pencils when you are inebriated is not the same as flying a plane in said condition), then it is perfectly reasonable for an employer to request drug and alcohol tests, in my opinion. It is pretty well-known that some isolated Northern communities are rife with drug/alcohol abuse, and what employer wants to risk the future of their company, millions/billions of dollars, and the very lives of their employees on the possibility that someone's non-stop partying could cause irreversible damage?

 

[ballz]

I think you're misunderstanding the breathalyzer.... They don't make you take a breathalyzer before you hop into your dumptruck to go driving, or whatever. They make you take a breathalyzer weeks sometimes months before you start work..... After that, you can show up to work plastered and you won't get breathalyzed unless management smells you or you cause an accident.

 

[Rowshambow]

Celticgirl, just so you know, Ft Mcmurray (albeit in Northern Alberta) I don't think it is considered a "norther community" it has (I think the last time I was there) about 70 000 people living there (I am sure ballz could give you the exact amount) It has quite a few major commodities!

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Celticgirl, just so you know, Ft Mcmurray (albeit in Northern Alberta) I don't think it is considered a "norther community" it has (I think the last time I was there) about 70 000 people living there (I am sure ballz could give you the exact amount) It has quite a few major commodities!

And most of those 70000 are Newfoundlanders  ;D

 

[Greymatters]

If the workers are operating heavy machinery or doing another job that requires total mental alertness (not that all jobs don't 'require' that, but pushing pencils when you are inebriated is not the same as flying a plane in said condition), then it is perfectly reasonable for an employer to request drug and alcohol tests, in my opinion. It is pretty well-known that some isolated Northern communities are rife with drug/alcohol abuse, and what employer wants to risk the future of their company, millions/billions of dollars, and the very lives of their employees on the possibility that someone's non-stop partying could cause irreversible damage?

The reason the drug testing meets such difficulties is that a judge decided that drug testing (in his opinion) only tests what your mental state was in the past, not in the present, so had no bearing on the current mental condition of the testee, therefore shoulodnt be a an to performing work.  I certainly dont agree with that, but that was his ruling.  Same with the breathalyzer, the ruling was that it only tested what the persons alcoholic state was now, not what it would be when performing the job.  Its basically taking innocent until proven guilty a bit too far and a fairly narrow interpretation as any person who shows up for an interview and breathalyzer test drunk is just as likely to show up for the job drunk.  Oh and as for pencil pushers being not very dangerous, that is a biased flaw.  Although not a great risk to life, desk jockeys can be just as dangerous in liable actions and making bad decisions, which can be even more expensive than any mistakes made with heavy machinery...

 

 

[Celticgirl]

Celticgirl, just so you know, Ft Mcmurray (albeit in Northern Alberta) I don't think it is considered a "norther community" it has (I think the last time I was there) about 70 000 people living there (I am sure ballz could give you the exact amount) It has quite a few major commodities!

They're all Northern communities to me, as I've never been to that part of the country.   Thanks for setting the record straight. Mind you, I have heard stories about some 'activities' that go on in FMM, but as that is hearsay, I'll keep those little tidbits to myself.  ;D

[Edit for grammar errors, which are popping up in all of my posts today.  :blotto:]

 

[Celticgirl]

Oh and as for pencil pushers being not very dangerous, that is a biased flaw.  Although not a great risk to life, desk jockeys can be just as dangerous in liable actions and making bad decisions, which can be even more expensive than any mistakes made with heavy machinery...

   

Good point. 

 

[ballz]

The official population is about 80,000, plus commuters and shadow population (camp workers that don't count in a government consensus) brings the widely accepted population to about 100,000.

Last I heard, about 17% of the official population were Newfies. I imagine the percentage for Atlantic Canadians would be anywhere between 30-40%.

My favorite regionalistic quote applies pretty well up there: "If all the Newfies left and went home, Newfoundland would sink, and the rest of Canada would shut down."  ;D