Drug Testing In The Workplace
Drug testing in the workplace is normally done via mobile drug testing services to simulate a laboratory testing environment, where the test subject’s samples methodically collected from employees and tested. Literature from some drug testing jobs even boasts of portable drug testing kits to be used by the employer to check for drug abuse among their employees. This topic has grown controversial because some people are known to buy drug test results and those who have knowledge of drug abuse facts can pass the test even if only a short notice has been given. To address this, random drug testing is a widespread practice in many companies.
Types of drug test
A drug test is a qualitative analysis of a biological sample, usually urine, saliva, hair, or blood, to detect the presence of certain drugs or their metabolite forms. A drug test is typically done in sports to check the presence of steroids or in the workplace settings to test for the presence of illicit drugs. Drug testing in the workplace methods are most likely to identify THC metabolites from marijuana or cannabis users. These fat-soluble THC metabolites remain in the body for a much longer period of time compared to the more dangerous drugs such as cocaine and heroin which are much harder to detect and not normally tested for.
There are many types of drug tests. The most common are the following: urine drug screen, hair testing, alcohol, saliva drug testing or oral fluid-based drug screen, sweat drug screen, and blood. The most commonly used methods of drug testing in the workplace are urine, saliva, and hair drug screening tests.
Methods of testing
A urine drug screen involves splitting the urine sample into two portions or specimens. A specimen initially utilizes an analyzer to achieve an immunoassay, and if the initial screening is found to be positive, then the other specimen is used to confirm the results via a gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. Instant tests for saliva and urine testing are available; some of them have high accuracies and can be used in spot check drug testing in the workplace. The United States Department of Labor allows saliva-based drug tests which can detect prior drug use after one to two days. The drawback of this test is that there are many adulteration products readily available online that can mask saliva or oral fluid detection. Blood testing is another common drug testing method in the workplace. Although it is considered the most accurate, blood screening to detect drug abuse is not often used because the testing method requires medically trained personnel and specialized equipment.
Drug testing laws
In the United States, the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 calls for federal contractors and other associated affiliates to offer drug-free workplaces as an initial condition before a contract or grant is obtained from a federal agency. Private companies which perform mandatory drug testing on its employees are fostering safe and wholesome business practices under drug-free settings. Safety-sensitive companies and institutions, such as those concerned in aviation, petroleum processing, nuclear plants, food manufacturing, transportation, etc., cannot afford to have a single employee working under the influence of drugs as one minor mistake can potentially translate to a significant loss of lives and property. In some states, mandatory drug testing in the workplace is done in the trucking industry because this practice has been shown to reduce truck accidents and fatalities.
All in all, the number of workplace drug tests is growing every year
History of drug testing
Drug testing in the United States was spurred by the accident in the US Navy in 1981; it involved a plane crash on the carrier deck of the USS Nimitz which resulted to loss of lives of many people and massive injuries sustained by dozens of navy personnel. The US Secretary of Navy then mandated rigorous drug testing shortly afterwards to prevent any untoward similar incidents from happening.
Passing a drug test
There are some ways to pass a drug test even for drug users. This is either detoxifying body from drug toxins using drug detox products or substituting testing specimen with clean sample or synthetic urine. The methods of cheating drug tests are improving constantly, so despite of increasing number of workplace drug tests the number of positive tests is decreasing from year to year.
Workplace drug testing pros and cons
There are both critics and proponents of random drug testing employees in the workplace. Here are the pros and cons of workplace drug screening done by employers to their employees:
Pros:
- Increases the safety of the workplace environment. The employees who abuse alcohol and drugs are the ones most likely to cause harm to other employees or to damage company property. If the welfare of the employees is taken into consideration by ensuring a drug-free environment, then workplace productivity is stimulated. The more employees will be comfortable in their working environment, the more quality work they can perform.
- Reduces the chances of accidents from happening. Impaired judgment and slow reactions during emergency situations are common to drug and alcohol abusers. Workplace drug testing will encourage employees to stay drug-free, and any accidents that might be caused by being high on illicit drugs will then be prevented.
- Timely help is extended to employers who are drug abusers. Catching those who have drug abuse problems in the workplace can help them to get rehabilitated in time so that they can become productive members of the society once again. Drug treatment programs can also be given by the company to those who have drug abuse problems.
Cons:
- Invades the privacy of the employees. Random drug testing can be highly discriminatory in nature. Some employees are even subjected to more tests compared to others in the workplace, even if there is no probable cause to perform such testing on them. Moreover, there are many cases wherein job applicants of certain companies are not hired unless they comply with mandatory drug testing requirements.
- Drug testing is costly. This is especially true for large companies because a large number of employees will undergo screening and testing, though bulk rates can be obtained from many drug testing services or contractors.
- The process may be unconstitutional. Aside from the drug testing process being an issue on the invasion of an individual’s privacy, workplace drug testing may also be considered as inherently unconstitutional. There are no specific rulings made on this issue yet, but some rights advocates feel that the act of random drug testing in the context of a workplace is a violation of certain personal rights and freedom.