A labor inspector expelled workers from the REM site who had smoked cannabis during their break last summer, an illustration of a broader problem in construction, according to the industry’s largest union.
The official was preparing to leave the site after a brief visit on June 8 when he noticed “a strong smell of cannabis” in the parking lot where the workers were eating their lunch.
“I remind the project manager of the ban on working on a construction site while impaired,” relates the report from the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST). ). “The project manager identifies workers who use cannabis and informs them that they cannot return to the site for the day. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CNESST
Photo of the construction site taken by the CNESST inspector on the day of the inspection on the REM construction site
At the heart of the problem: the risk of injury when working with powerful tools or operating heavy machinery while impaired.
Such an event does not surprise the FTQ-Construction in the least, which considers that the problem is “widespread” on construction sites in Quebec. “I’m not surprised, this is not the first construction site where there are odors of cannabis,” said Simon Lévesque, responsible for health and safety issues at the union. “At lunchtime and even during work, sometimes in the toilets or in passages, it smells of cannabis. »
Workers consume for different reasons, he explained. Some people want to stop having “shoulder pain”, for example, “it will allow them to keep up”.
The legalization of cannabis in 2018 hasn’t changed anything, in his opinion: “It’s been a long time since construction sites smelled of cannabis. »
Increased dangers
For unknown reasons, the CNESST refused to grant an interview to The Press regarding the risk posed by cannabis on construction sites in Quebec.
Simon Lévesque argued that under the law, it is up to the employer to ensure that its employees do not work under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
What I find peculiar is that it is the CNESST inspector who detects odors of cannabis in the workplace.
Simon Lévesque, responsible for health and safety files at FTQ-Construction
Guillaume Houle, spokesperson for the Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ), refused to comment on the prevalence of the problem. But “we have to take the situation seriously, no matter how many times it happens, it’s clear,” he said.
“These are situations that can happen, just as it happens that a worker shows up under the influence of alcohol,” continued Mr. Houle. The employer must “take disciplinary measures, take measures so that this person cannot harm his own safety or the safety of other workers”.
“All construction sites are extremely dangerous, so having a worker under the influence of alcohol or drugs could have pretty major consequences,” he added.
“Zero tolerance” at REM
As for the REM site, three workers were expelled from the project for good, assured the project manager of the site, the NouvLR consortium. The event occurred on the segment of the project located in Deux-Montagnes.
“NouvLR applies zero tolerance for anyone who comes to work under the influence of alcohol and drugs including cannabis, and therefore immediately removes from its sites and offices any person it suspects to be impaired,” indicated the director of communications, Marc-André Lefebvre, by email. The organization declined the interview request from The Press.
“In the specific case you raise, the three people concerned were workers of a subcontracting company. As soon as the report was made, our site managers immediately took charge of the situation and ordered the workers to leave the site safely,” continued Mr. Lefebvre. “NouvLR confirms that these people have never worked on one of its sites again. »
The CNESST also refused to provide further information on its intervention.