FELIXSTOWE port has today been hailed a drug free zone after random drug tests on workers have all come back negative.The initiative to test workers from the port was brought in at the beginning of the year as a health and safety initiative.

FELIXSTOWE port has today been hailed a drug free zone after random drug tests on workers have all come back negative.

The initiative to test workers from the port was brought in at the beginning of the year as a health and safety initiative.

Paul Davey, corporate affairs manager at the port, said: "We have a commitment at the port to our workforce to ensure it is as safe as place as possible. This is just one way of ensuring that.

"The new random drug tests were brought in at the beginning of 2005 with full approval from the trade union.

"It has been well received by the workers and we have had no failures in the three months we have been doing it.

"There is a lot of heavy equipment here and it would be very dangerous to have someone under the influence of drugs operating the machinery."

Each month one per cent of the port's workers, around 28 people, are chosen to take part in a test to screen for any illegal drugs.

The workers are chosen at random and anyone can be selected for tests including the managing director.

The news comes a day after The Evening Star revealed that more than 1,200 accidents at the port had been reported to the Health and Safety Executive over the last nine years.

These accidents included 120 major incidents which have caused fatal or serious injuries to staff while at work.

Aside from the deaths of three men at the port, others have sustained brain damage, amputations and exposure to alarming levels of a dangerous substance.