Frequently Asked Questions: Occupational Drug Testing
What kind of test should my employees take?
This question must be answered with a question – Are your employees in a safety-sensitive position? (e.g. driver, machine worker)
If yes, you will need to enroll for the DOT program. The DOT requires a 5 Panel Urine Drug Test with an Expanded Opioid Panel. Results must be reported by a Medical Review Officer (MRO) and you will also be set up for a saliva alcohol test as well.
If no, the kind of test is entirely up to your company’s policy. If you don’t have one a good rule of thumb is to test equal or greater than DOT regulation. Also, consider the 10 Panel test and for a minimally invasive means, ask about the oral fluids test.
How often should we test?
DOT Regulates Pre-employment testing, Random/Reasonable Suspicion, and Post-Accident testing. For all Companies, pre-employment testing is ideal because it serves as a base-line. It can reveal no only what a potential employee may be abusing when entering your company as well as what they may be bringing in with them to your existing staff. These days with so much addiction and so many companies opening and closing every day, it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure their employees’ safety and the company’s financial security. Doing so from the very beginning can save tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue, tardiness and production.
Random/Reasonable Suspicion/Post-Accident cases are recommended to maintain a drug-free workplace. Be sure your managers are trained to read signs of intoxication and substance abuse. For this type of testing, a quick and minimally invasive method is recommended. Oral fluid is ideal.
FAQ: The Importance of Drug Testing in the Workplace
Do drug users work?
Yes, 71% of illegal drug users are employed. 90% of alcoholics work.
Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Are drug users poor?
No, 65% of people who use drugs earn at least $25,000 a year and an average of 14 years of education.
Source: ADAMHA
Is drug use a big city problem?
No, drug use is the same in urban, in suburban and in rural areas.
Is drug use only a large business problem?
No, Substance abusers will go to small businesses to find jobs since 91% of large American businesses have substance abuse policies.
Source: Lynn Martin, Secretary of Labor, The National Report of Substance Abuse
How much of the average work force has a substance abuse problem?
Average: 15%-17%
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Do drug users take drugs on the job?
Yes, 75% of drug users seeking help revealed that they used drugs on the job.
Source: National Cocaine Hotline
Does drug use hurt job performance?
Yes, 64% of drug users seeking help revealed that drugs hurt their job performance.
Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Do drug users sell drugs to co-workers?
Yes, 44% of drug users seeking help revealed that they sold drugs to co-workers.
Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Is drug use a cause of theft in the work place?
Yes, 18% of drug users seeking help revealed that they stole from co-works to support their habits.
Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Is drug use in my industry?
- Construction 20.6%
- Finance 14.6%
- Repair 19.9%
- Professionalism 11.0%
- Wholesale 15.5%
- Transportation 13.2%
- Manufacturing 15.2%
- Retail 19.7%
- Personal Services 19.3%
Source: NIDA Household Survey
Do drug users incur more medical costs?
Yes, 300% more
Source: U.S. Department of Labor
Do drug users make more workers compensation claims?
Yes, five times more than a non-substance abuser.
Do drug users have problems with attendance?
Yes, Substance abusers are responsible for 35% of all absenteeism and absent 10 times more often.
Source: OSHA
Does drug use affect productivity?
Yes, The Average substance abuser performs at 67% of potential.
Source: OSHA
“The effect of substance abuse on productivity represents the largest single controllable cost of any organization, public or private.”
Source: Wright and Wright, “Creating and Maintaining a Drug-Free Workplace”
Does drug use cause more injuries in the work place?
Yes, 47% industrial injuries, 40% industrial deaths and 5 times more likely to injure themselves or another at work.
Source: Bernstein and Mahoney, Occupational Medicine.
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For workers under the age of 44,
54% of unintentional work-related deaths such as falls, electrocutions, and vehicle crashes involved an employee who tested positive for drugs and/or alcohol.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Is employment drug testing legal?
Most employers have fairly wide latitude when it comes to pre-employment drug tests and the current emphasis on drug-free workplaces encourages this. Each state has its own laws governing employment drug testing, which employers should follow.
Generally, these allow for drug testing of job applicants provided the applicants to know that the testing is part of the hiring process for all employees. Some states require a formal conditional offer of employment to be given to the applicant before testing can take place.
Often notification of pre-employment drug testing is given on the application form which the candidate signs. Sometimes separate specific notification is given at the first interview.
What about the job applicant’s rights to privacy?
The US Supreme Court has held that both blood and urine collection is minimally intrusive and not harmful to job applicants when conducted in the right environment (workplace or collection facility) without direct observation by the tester. In other words, it would be considered an invasion of the candidate’s privacy if the employer required a urine sample while other people were in the room watching.
However, if there is a worry about tampering with the sample the employer may be allowed to have one person of the same sex as the candidate present when the sample is given.
A drug test result may be considered personal health information and there may be restrictions on how and whether such information can be shared.
What other rights does the applicant have with regard to the drug testing process?
The applicant’s basic rights extend primarily to the right to privacy as stated above and the right to question the legitimacy of the test result including the right to pay for further testing at a lab of their choice.
You may have additional rights depending on your individual circumstances as well as State regulations.
Are all job applicants tested for drugs?
Depending on the company and the industry, discrimination can be implied if an employer tests only certain applicants for a position.