CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Drug Tests for Gas Workers

An estimated 116,000 natural gas and pipeline workers nationwide may be subjected to random drug testing without violating constitutional privacy rights, a federal appeals court ruled. The unanimous U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision upheld a Transportation Department random urine-testing program, even though the department could show “neither the existence of widespread drug problems in the pipeline industry nor a direct linkage between drug impairment and the possibility of accidents.” In rejecting the invasion-of-privacy claims, the appeals court said pipeline and natural gas facility workers have lowered expectations of privacy based solely on their employment in an industry highly regulated to ensure safety.