Laing O'Rourke drug crackdown bears fruit

LAING O'Rourke is winning its war on drug abuse as the number of workers sacked for testing positive dropped this year.

Figures in Laing O'Rourke's latest Human Capital report show that 114 people were ordered off site in the 12 months to 31 March 2007 for failing drug tests compared with 165 the previous year.

Sixty per cent of those that tested positive were subcontracted workers who were thrown off O'Rourke jobs, while the remaining 40% were direct employees and sacked.

The figures show that 68% of those caught tested positive for cannabis with 25% found to be using cocaine and 7% other substances.

The 114 drug users were caught during 1,271 random tests at more than 130 locations across the country.

An O'Rourke source said: "We decided to be very open about our drug and alcohol testing and it seems like that approach is working."

The firm has the largest directly employed workforce in construction with 27,344 staff worldwide - up from 23,348 last year.

The Human Capital report, which was introduced last year by chairman Ray O'Rourke, also contains details on staff pay.

The company is considered one of the industry's top payers and the average basic salary for UK workers increased 6% to £38,500 (see table for full breakdown).

O'Rourke said: "Our ambition is to have our employees in the upper quartile of earnings. We understand what people value about Laing O'Rourke. The top three factors are opportunities for career progression, the types of projects in which we are involved and the packages we offer."

Safety performance also improved as the company enjoyed a reduction in its accident frequency rate. O'Rourke said: "On health and safety we adopt a zero tolerance approach. Despite the fact that we have a positive performance, we understand that one accident is one too many."

Laing O'Rourke in numbers

• Total employees worldwide: 27,344
• Average UK basic salary: £38,500
• Average salary by function:
• Admin/HR/finance: £26,100
  • Business development: £48,066
  • Commercial: £40,256
  • Project leaders: £81,596
  • Design: £40,338
  • Engineering: £33,380
  • Health and safety / quality: £38,381
  • Planning: £38,285
  • Procurement: £40,216
  • Site management: £43,461
  • Transport and plant: £31,749

(Contract Journal, 15 August 2007, p 2)