Australian Mining 28 February, 2013 Andrew Duffy
Xstrata officials in north Queensland have taken a “zero tolerance” approach to synthetic drug use in the mining industry following warnings from police about the region's problems.
ABC News reports Xstrata Copper North Queensland chief operation officer Steve de Kruijff said the company was aware of the issue and had implemented tough rules to secure safety on site.
"It is a zero tolerance process because we've got a very large operation here with a lot of mechanical movements and people working in manual situations and we want them to be safe," he said.
"We do get positive tests from time to time and we have a policy and a procedure that manages that very effectively."
Along with providing workers with education on synthetic drugs and their risks, de Kruijff said Xstrata had a “fairly effective” drug testing system in place to catch offenders.
Earlier this month police said strong demand from mining workers had helped Mount Isa become the “synthetic drug capital” of North Queensland.