A hearing begins this week that could give the blessing to random workplace drug testing in the province’s oilsands.

An Alberta Court of Appeal panel will decide on an injunction and hear arguments for and against plans by Suncor to conduct random testing.

The company claims that since 2000, three of the seven deaths at its oilsands operations have involved workers under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The Calgary Herald reports the case, as well as another involving Irving Pulp and Paper in New Brunswick, will be closely scrutinized by employers and privacy experts. The key for the appeals court is finding a balance between individual’s privacy rights and workplace safety.

the key in this case, is … “random” (testing).

Most companies in the oilsands already have some form of drug-testing in place.  But the testing is after the fact in the case of accidents, takes place when an employee is behaving strangely, or in some cases before a worker is hired to work a certain position. The crux of the dispute in the Suncor case is random testing.