At Carlsbad Plant : 17 Hughes Employees Put on Leave After Drug Tests

Seventeen employees at the Hughes Aircraft plant in Carlsbad have been put on indefinite administrative leave in the aftermath of a drug investigation conducted by the firm, company officials revealed Tuesday.

Bill Herrman, a Hughes spokesman, said the workers were told to go home last Thursday for “violation of company policies.”

“There were a number of employees put on leave,” Herrman said. “It is being treated as an internal matter.”

17 Employees Involved

Herrman refused to reveal specifically whether drugs were involved, but a company official who asked not to be named said the investigation provided solid evidence that the 17 employees had a drug problem.

In addition, Herrman declined to disclose the names or job descriptions of the employees, what types of drugs allegedly were being used and whether the problems surfaced during drug screening tests.

No law enforcement agency was involved in the investigation, which was handled internally by the aircraft company, Herrman said.

Company officials have made no decision as to whether further action will be taken against the employees, or how long they will be asked to remain off work, Herrman said.

No Security Breaches

He stressed that the investigation revealed that there had been no security breaches at the plant, which produces components used in aircraft and other military hardware.

Officials with the Electronic and Space Technicians Union, Local 1553, which represents many of the employees at the Carlsbad plant, could not be reached for comment.

The sprawling Carlsbad facility, in an industrial park along El Camino Real, has more than 1,400 employees and houses two separate divisions.

One division assembles products such as cockpit instruments and avionics, infrared sensing equipment and industrial lasers. The other operation is part of the company’s microelectronics center, producing large-scale integrated circuit panels for military aircraft and spacecraft.