N E W S
www.engineeringnews.co.nz 13
NZ less competitive with less government
R&D support
Meth contamination opens wider
drug testing door ing the concerns of residential property
The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA)
welcomes the report on meth contamination
issued by the Prime Minister's chief
science advisor, Sir Peter Gluckman. The
report delivers the industry a chance to
revisit the practices, policies and people
that undertake what is a highly sophisticated,
scientifically challenging, and
important business to safety-sensitive
industries such as construction and
engineering.
TDDA has long believed that accreditation
and regulation in the industry
were needed.
“There’s no room for bad actors in safety
sensitive industries when your job is to
ensure that people make it home at the
end of the day," says Kirk Hardy, ceo of
The Drug Detection Agency. "There’s no
room for low grade, error prone testing
devices. There’s no room for poor policies
that can expose a person to false
testing results, breaches of privacy, and
the potential for loss of work or income.
There’s simply no room for cowboy
operators in this industry.”
TDDA is a leader in the field and is independently
accredited by International
Accreditation NZ (IANZ) under ISO
ISO15189:2012 accreditation for workplace
drug testing. The ISO15189:2012
accreditation, which is externally audited
by IANZ, denotes that TDDA’s medical
laboratories meet rigorous national
and international standards in quality
management and competence.
TDDA believes that any testing company
should meet these minimum
requirements to operate.
“The barrier to entry for drug
testing is too low. Anyone can find
cheap DIY kits on the internet,
start a company, and charge for
testing services. Without proper
accreditation and standards
in place we’ll continue to see
issues in the testing industry,
and worse, incorrect testing
results that lead to people
getting hurt at work,” says
Hardy.
While TDDA’s primary focus
is on testing people and
maintaining safe working environments,
the company is also
pleased that the report effectively
shines a light on practices exploit-
owners and calls for validation, guidelines,
accreditation and qualification of testers.
These are important recommendations
that are needed to protect residential
property owners and tenants – and to
preserve the integrity of testing regimes.
TDDA is an expert in what happens when
methamphetamine use jumps from the
home to the workplace. It helps safety
sensitive businesses create rigorous
policies and workplace testing regimes
that ensure safe workplaces.
“No one is denying that people under
the influence of drugs and alcohol, in
a safety-sensitive field are dangers
to themselves and others. No
employer will tell you he
wants someone under the
influence of meth, marijuana
or other drugs
operating a high-rise
crane or heavy machinery.
Without pre-employment and
ongoing testing, industries like trucking
and construction would be left exposed
to accidents that may lead to loss of life,”
says Hardy.
Testing is a demanding, complex, scientifically
based and important field. It requires
specialised technology and equipment,
training and reliable mechanisms to detect
risk for employers and employees.
TDDA believes that scientifically sound,
robust testing and policies lead to safe
places of work.
“We have a commandment at TDDA to
‘protect the girl on the bike’. It simply
means, no one gets hurt at work and
people go home to their families at the
end of the day,” says Hardy.
TDDA is delighted by the report,
and supports the call for accreditation,
qualification and
regulation in the industry.
Fifty years of
Fieldays proves
fruitful to New
Zealand economy
The 50th New Zealand Agricultural
Fieldays provides a platform to
reflect on how the last 49 years
of the largest agricultural event
in the Southern Hemisphere have
contributed to the New Zealand
economy.
An Economic Impact report,
prepared by Dr Warren Hughes
and Prof Frank Scrimgeour
of the University of Waikato
Management School’s institute
of business research, showcases
the widespread impact Fieldays
has had on the New Zealand
economy since Fieldays began.
In 1969 the first Fieldays were
held at Hamilton’s Te Rapa
Racecourse. Fast forward 50
years and Fieldays is a staple
on many agricultural calendars
with hundreds of thousands
descending on Mystery Creek
every year.
Using the attendance for each
year as a scaling factor, the
University of Waikato report
outlines the total revenue contribution
of Fieldays for the New
Zealand economy over the last
49 years to be estimated at
$18 billion in today’s economic
value with the GDP contribution
estimated at $8 billion.
New Zealand National Fieldays
Society (NZNFS) general manager
of commercial Nick Dromgool
says, “We’re really proud that our
organisation continues to make
such a positive impact on the New
Zealand economy each year.
“It’s amazing to think that the
decisions that our founding
fathers made back in 1968 to
create an event bringing town
and country together have
contributed so significantly,” says
Dromgool.
The report also outlines the impact
Fieldays has on employment with
an estimated 2,340 jobs effected
in 2017, with 900 of these jobs
created in the Waikato alone.
“The spin off to the food and
beverage, accommodation
and service industry, particularly
in the Waikato is great. As
Fieldays grows so do the service
industries that supply our
exhibitors and their businesses,"
says Mr Dromgool.
It was also estimated that
exhibitors experienced around
a 10% impact from exhibiting at
Fieldays with the current brand
value of the Fieldays platform
standing at $465 million.
Hundreds of fledgling New Zealand tech
companies will feel the pinch if stimulating
research and development grants
are replaced with tax credits, NZTech
chief executive Graeme Muller says.
Muller says tax credits have a place but
New Zealand needs to be as competitive
as other countries if it wants a faster
growing economy.
The planned changes will help
larger and more mature firms but
overall they will be detrimental
to high growth tech firms and this is
not conducive for the fastest growing
sector in the country.
“The current consultation process
presents an opportunity to have a real
good review of the structural set up
and equity for all high-tech companies.
We also need to make sure the R&D
incentives help both research and
development – they currently focus
on research and ignore development,”
Muller says.
Meth, marijuana and
other drugs in the workplace
are of increasing
concern.
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