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In his State of the State address given at the Charleston Civic Center, Tomblin said he expected the bill which he introduced to the legislature last week to be quickly passed.
“Substance abuse is an issue for the industry,” he told the group, adding that safety must be a priority in an environment like coal mining.
Exemplifying West Virginia, Tomblin said the state’s problem was widespread but that there were geographical concentrations for specific issues, including street drugs, such as heroin in the northern region and meth in the central area known as the Kanawha Valley.
In the southern counties, the state’s most coal-rich area, the drugs of choice are prescriptions such as oxycodone.
Among the proposals in Tomblin’s bill is pre-employment testing, a move designed to keep an existing drug abuse problem from entering a mine.
“To have somebody who is impaired there is just completely unacceptable,” he said.
“I see no sense in training people for jobs they can’t pass a drug test to do.”
Those who fail the testing will be reported to the state but will be eligible at a later date to reapply and retest if they discontinue using.
The bill also strengthens the occasions for which operators can require drug testing and will mandate that operations report those who are discharged for a drug policy violation.
If passed, miners will also be given the responsibility of informing the state of a drug-related conviction.
Tomblin said there were 1000 jobs available in the southern region of the state that could be filled if operators could get applicants who could successfully pass a drug test.
“Even one death, one fatality is one too many,” the governor said.
“I don't think anyone should be impaired, especially if you're underground, working in tight quarters.
“Miners have to depend on each other … I think you have to be at the top of your game every day in there.”
Other non-drug related sections of the bill include a requirement for proximity protection devices and additional rock dusting.
The WVCA symposium ran through Friday.
