The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday said it is considering shortening the interval for drug tests for Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) drivers after a driver tested positive in June.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) said the train driver tested positive for drugs after taking a urine-based test on June 14, but tested negative in a second test on June 28.
Lee questioned the accuracy of the tests given that they were administered 14 days apart.
Photo: CNA
“Normally, if a person tests positive in the first urine drug test, they should test positive again within seven days. However, the driver’s first and second urine tests were two weeks apart,” he said. “Could you still get accurate results if different urine samples were tested?”
He also asked the agency to submit a report within a month on its plan to address drug testing.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) asked whether the agency had determined whether the driver had taken drugs.
“Are you trying to let the incident die down quietly by letting the driver work an office job instead?” Hung said.
TRA Director-General Tu Wei (杜微) told lawmakers that the driver attributed the positive test result to an amphetamine present in a cold medication he took prior to the test.
As of yesterday, the driver still worked in an office job at the TRA, Tu said.
“Our standardized operating procedure is to report drug cases to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications within 10 days and then turn them over to the police for criminal investigation,” he said.
In addition to an annual physical examination, train drivers are also subject to random drug tests every three months, he said, adding that each driver is tested at least once per year.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said that a two-week interval between the first and second urine drug tests was long, adding that he has asked the TRA to consider changing its rules.
Independent Legislator Chao Cheng-yu (趙正宇) said all drivers should be tested every month to ensure the safety of train operations.
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