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Company in the Spotlight: Passing the test Woman-owned concern grows by testing workers for drugs Sunday, July 02, 2000 By Jim McKay, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Nearly 100 contractors belonging to the Master Builders Association of Western Pennsylvania will soon require construction workers to show they are drug-free in a program developed with major trade unions.
Up to 15,000 construction workers who want jobs with those contractors, including companies building Pittsburgh's two stadiums and the convention center expansion, may participate once contractors require the testing in September.
Their urine samples will be collected by Mobile Medical Corp., a firm that has grown over the past 10 years from an idea to a nearly $2 million business.
Mobile Medical collects samples for testing at a certified laboratory and keeps a database of who passes annual and random exams that can be accessed through the Internet by participating contractors and unions.
The business is the brainchild of Cynthia Latsko, 43, owner and president. She got her initial business experience helping her former husband, Dr. Joseph P. Klutz, run a medical practice.
"When we split up, one of us had to go. He was the doctor. So it was me," said Latsko, who was trained as a radiology technician.
From that experience, though, she learned she had business skills and recognized there was a need for various medical testing services in general industry, her company's first target.
It soon became apparent to her that the construction industry, with its mobile work force, had a particular need for physicals, blood-lead level tests and other safety exams required by OSHA and other agencies.
Drug and alcohol testing then developed as industrial facilities such as steel mills and power plants began to require contractors to use them for employees working on those sites.
Labor-management programs became a business for Mobile Medical about four years ago when Local 5 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers agreed to set up a centralized testing program with the National Electrical Contractors Association.
These programs are expected to reduce accidents, improve productivity and moderate testing costs for employers. Construction workers also are relieved of the hassle of having to be frequently tested as they move from project to project and employer to employer.
The new Master Builders Association's program has the endorsement of the carpenters, laborers, cement masons and operating engineers. It is designed to let other unions join if they so desire.
"From our perspective, this is a safety issue," said Paul A. Quarantilllo, business manager of the Laborers' District Council of Western Pennsylvania. "Bottom line, this gives our members the best chance of going home at the end of the day as healthy as when they showed up in the morning."
Robert McCall, the MBA's safety director, said most of the group's contractor members will require workers to be tested as a condition of hiring, although the testing is voluntary. He cites government data showing that one of every six fatalities on construction sites is related to substance abuse and that abusive use of alcohol or drugs account for up to half of the industry's workers' compensation claims.
"A construction site is a dangerous place," said Jack Brooks, executive business manager for the 33-county Carpenters union, which has a program in place to help workers who may have drug or alcohol problems. "Everybody has to be careful. You have to look out for one another."
Increasingly, users of construction services such as the state Turnpike Authority, power plants and nuclear facilities require drug testing, and construction unions expect that to continue.
Latsko thinks Mobile Medical is the first in the industry to develop an interactive Web site that can be used by contractors to verify worker eligibility. She expects the Internet to help fuel future growth.
Security measures were built into the site to protect the privacy of those who fail the tests or opt not to take them, she said. The MBA's McCall contends that confidentiality is enhanced, with Mobile Medical since data is now held at one location rather than being spread among approximately 100 contractors.
"It was very important to the unions that these are the highest-quality tests and that the guys are getting a fair shake," Quarantillo said.
In addition to labor-management programs, Latsko's business grew when local client contractors asked her to do work for them in other cities. She now does testing around the country, concentrating in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Chicago. Along the way, employment grew to 16 full-time workers, with 25 to 30 technicians who work part time as projects become available.
Latsko said she was able to manage the growth with the help of PowerLink, a program that helps female business owners develop under the guidance of volunteer professionals who form an advisory panel.
"They helped me redo my financials, put together sales reports, spreadsheets, all that stuff I didn't know," she said. "We put together quality management techniques and define procedures and protocols. Now the office runs like a machine."
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Business: Substance abuse testing, medical exams and nursing services.