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An explosion at the Shell Moerdijk facility in June 2014 (Photo: OttoWise / Twitter)
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An explosion at the Shell Moerdijk facility in June 2014 (Photo: OttoWise / Twitter)
Friday, 15 May 2015 - 14:28
Shell kicks out 60 workers for drug use at Moerdijk
Shell expelled dozens of temporary workers from their complex in Moerdijk after the staff was caught using soft drugs. The company confirmed the news to BN De Stem.
Shell spokesman Thjis van Velzen told the newspaper that the drug use was discovered during two inspections, which also included an investigation into permanent workers. Consumption of drugs in the workplace are violations of the existing safety regulations.
Safety at the facility came under scrutiny after an explosion there last June left several people hurt and caused significant damage there. A buildup of excess pressure caused the blast, Shell said months later.
The inspections involved sniffer dogs and urine tests, a spokesman for the company confirmed earlier on Friday. The company is not commenting further on the number of people with positive outcomes and its consequences.
Trade union FNV criticized urine tests, because they come out positive not only for those who use smoke to ingest drugs, but also for those who stand nearby. The union suggested saliva controls should be used instead, which could also help in establishing hard drugs usage.
Those fired were temporary workers many of whom came from Eastern Europe. "There were empty beer cans inside the gates and drugs were traded in the parking lot of the factory," FNV director Egbert Schellenberg said. "The Eastern European working mentality for that matter is sometimes different from ours."