Dogs Will Sniff Out Drugs at Shipyard

The canines who’ll greet National Steel & Shipyard (Nassco) workers as they report to work June 2 won’t be begging for scraps or hankering for affection.

Instead, the specially trained dogs will be sniffing for drugs that, according to management, “can impair judgment and . . . cause safety problems.”

The dogs, hired through a private security firm, will sniff for drugs at Nassco’s main gate, on ships under construction and repair, and in the company offices, where “the desks are considered company property,” according to Fred Hallett, Nassco vice president of finance and corporate relations.

If the dogs discover any drugs, the worker will be asked to leave work and Nassco officials will call the police.

“Our purpose isn’t to be a policeman,” Hallett said. “It’s just to get drugs out of the yard.”

Employees suspected of holding drugs will later face “disciplinary action,” Hallett added.

Drug testing via urine analysis will not be included in Nassco’s new policy for existing employees, Hallett said.

However, according to a letter mailed earlier this month to Nassco workers, job applicants will have to pass a “certified substance” screening as a condition of employment.

This pre-employment test mirrors a procedure used by many companies around the country.

Union officials are quick to condemn the use of drugs at the shipyard but criticize the policy for its seeming invasion of privacy.

“We’re concerned about the constitutional rights of our members,” one labor union executive said. “We would favor rehabilitation as a first response rather than loss of job.”

Nassco keeps no records of drug-related accidents, but officials maintain that substance abuse is as prevalent in the shipyards as it is in society in general.

“We’re a reasonable cross-section of society,” Hallett said. “So all of the information given to us by knowledgeable individuals indicates it’s prudent to keep drugs out of the workplace.”