Mirroring a national trend, several Utah ski resorts will begin random drug testing of employees this year.
"It's part of making a safer work environment for both employees and guests," said Shawn Stinson, a spokesman for Deer Valley Resort, where 950 workers will be subjected to random and post-accident drug testing under a policy implemented Sept. 1.Scrutiny of employee drug use has been virtually unheard of at Utah ski resorts, though elsewhere it is in full swing, said Chris Allaire, public relations director for Solitude Ski Resort, which employs about 300 during peak season.
"To be hired on at Vail (Colo.), for instance, you must submit to a drug test," said Allaire. He said Solitude is thinking about starting drug testing this year.
"We have heard through the industry that worker-compensation claims can be decreased as much as 50 percent with post-accident drug testing."
The Park City Ski Area last year tested employees for drugs and alcohol use after accidents but will expand that to random checks, said Mark Menlove, the resort's communications director.
"We're not unique within the ski industry and certainly not within corporate America," said Menlove.
Snowbird Ski Resort, with a payroll of 1,500, will begin drug testing Dec. 1 on a random, post-accident and "probable cause" basis, said Coleen Reardon, director of public relations.
Reardon, citing a recent bulletin from the National Ski Areas Association, said some form of drug testing is appearing at resorts nationwide, including locations in California, Colorado, North Carolina, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Despite the trend, some Utah resorts have no drug-testing plans.
"I think it's a few years down the road for us," said Rosie Gale, spokeswoman for Alta Ski Lifts.
Grant Wartena, a Parkwest representative, said though drug testing has yet to arrive at that resort, drug and alcohol use are strictly forbidden.
"If anyone's caught, they're terminated," said Wartena.
Drug screenings typically test for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, PCP, amphetamines and alcohol.