Employees form an integral part of every company. They put in the work to ensure that tasks and projects are completed on time. But what happens when some of your employees start exhibiting odd, unprofessional characteristics? A drastic change in behavior is often attributed to drug use – that’s why workplace drug testing is crucial. This test determines whether employees are abusing drugs or not.
Drug tests are designed to examine any evidence of recent drug use, from normal prescription medication to alcohol and illegal drugs. However, effective drug testing at work needs to be backed by a succinct, written policy circulated among the employees. Personnel also need to be educated about the potent dangers of drug abuse and alcohol intoxication. Employee drug testing is something that all companies should implement from time to time.
Here are 3 types of workplace drug testing:
- Instant & urine drug testing
Also referred to as the point of collection testing (POCT), instant drug testing is usually conducted as part of the pre-employment drug testing programs. Candidates who are eligible for this test are first presented with an electronic order highlighting the need for an instant drug test. Employers located in remote parts of the country receive the order form via email.
Instant drug testing has an assortment of benefits. Since it’s quite fast (results are reached at after several hours), testing time is dramatically reduced. This allows employees to return to work, helping to increase their productivity. This test also helps to reduce any cases of substance abuse-related absenteeism, thus lowering overall employment costs. Hiring cycles are also lessened by around 3 days.
- Alcohol testing for workplace programs
Naturally, employees are not allowed to work while inebriated. Companies regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOT) require to conduct alcohol resting in case of post-accident, return to duty, random testing and reasonable suspicion. Initial alcohol screening is achieved using a simple saliva testing. However, if results surpass the 0.020% threshold, further confirmation is sought from an evidential breath alcohol testing device. This helps to determine those employees who regularly work under the influence of alcohol.
The transportation industry is extremely safety-sensitive. This is why the DOT authorizes frequent alcohol testing for such positions as aviation, buses, truck transit and rail. Blood alcohol testing measures any trace amounts of alcohol present within your bloodstream. However, collection of blood sample is quite invasive and requires the presence of trained medical specialists. Urine alcohol testing, on the other hand, requires a non-invasive urine sample to determine the levels of alcohol within your system.
- Hair testing for employers
Hair drug testing is fast becoming popular for random and pre-employment drug testing programs. It has a myriad of advantages that employers love. For instance, hair tests can measure chronic drug use among job applicants. It’s also non-invasive and offers convenient storage & shipping. And as the icing on the cake, hair drug tests are extremely difficult to manipulate compared to urine tests.
It’s therefore not surprising that more employers are preferring this particular drug testing. But before implementing or altering a drug-free workplace policy, employers ought to seek legal counsel. Some cities and states in the U.S. don’t approve employment hair testing. These include Maine, Hawaii, Montana, Iowa and Nebraska.
