How " safe " are we ?

At first glance, the  report by RailCorp that detection of drug affected staff has increased fifty percent in the past year is alarming.   Random drug testing returned ninety positives in 2010/11, and this compared with sixty-one in the previous year.

On reflection, that ninety was a very small percentage of the immense workforce involved in the state rail system, but what we need to know is precisely what jobs  these drug and alcohol users were doing.
It is desirable that all workers in the rail system come to work sober and free of drugs, but certain segments of the work force pose an elevated risk to life and limb

In particular, those who actually drive the trains and those who control the signalling system are vital to safety.

We would be less concerned if these random drug and alcohol checks were finding fault amongst the men and women who sell us tickets,  sweep the platform, or carry out maintenance duties along the rail corridors or in the railway workshops.    The RailCorp statistics do not make this clear.

A very small number of people within the RailCorp organization carry a heavy safety load.   Each train driver has more people's lives in his or her hands than the pilot of a Jumbo jet - and yet in public perception that jet pilot has a much higher standing - and earns a hugely bigger pay packet.

RailCorp relies on random testing to keep it's workforce sober and drug free.   Obviously, sheer luck means that some people get away with infringements because of this random pattern.   Can we take the risk that this includes drivers and signalling staff ?

Would it not be reasonable to insist that all staff engaged in such sensitive risk areas undergo an alcohol/drug test at the start of their shift  ?   No doubt some would claim that this was a civil liberties infringement, but do we have to wait until a rail accident delivers a huge death toll before we put in place a common sense measure to enhance safety ?

It would be nice to know that the person driving the train we were on was absolutely free of alcohol or drug impairment !