Drug Testing In The Workplace

Drug Testing in the workplace can seem impersonal and invasive towards employees but it is a process that is done when an employer has reasonable suspicion that employees are using drugs at work coming from a variety of sources such as tips, accidents or behavioral problems, actual observation of drug use, and symptoms of drug usage. Today businesses feel that they have to be well aware that their workplace is a drug free place and that their employees are stable and productive and in doing so, employers result to drug testing. Many feel that drug testing is a good tool to use to have an ideal workplace culture and that most would feel like they have nothing to hide so why object? But not everyone feels the same, others do feel that drug testing like said before, is a violation of privacy and has no sense to be done. Even though one can feel this way that doesn’t make that employee a drug user just that most actually feel that drug testing is degrading. Drug abuse in the work place can affect performance and safety on the job and how an organization see’s it is that drug testing will help eliminate those poor factors. A clear written policy that outlines the employer’s expectations concerning drug use will allow for drug testing in a drug free workplace environment program. The program does have to include training the management on the signs and symptoms that would allow them to perceive with drug testing on employees. Also programs teach how to enforce the policy, employee education on drug use dangers, and provided referral system, or an employee assistance program for those employees that do have drug problems. All of these kinds of programs are for the benefit of the company to help be a safer work environment with less hazards and for the improvement of the health of employees (Workplace Drug Testing, 2013).
The negotiations that can allow a drug testing to commence have to have a logical basis for defense with labor unions. Obviously there has to be reasonable suspicion like a significant drug use by employees, occurring accidents that cost the company worker’s compensation that can be the reason for drug use. These reasons can support the idea of having drug testing for businesses to promote a drug free workplace but I recommend in doing so when there really is reasonable suspicion, if there isn’t any logic to why there is a drug testing taken place, I feel like that not only waste time for the employees at work but can feel invasive since the work environment is meant to be a professional place it feels degrading. Not to mention the money that is spent from the drug testing can be costly. I do believe its sensible for a business to use drug testing for new hires because if businesses do hire outside sources than it seems fair to do so.
The approach for companies to use the incentives for a drug free workplace program is to get the “buy-in” of the employees. These incentives help avoid workers compensation and unemployment insurance premiums from taking place for the company. The programs also include a tax reduction, which is the same to the expenses such as employee assistance programs and treatment for the company. Incentives for the employee is the time to take the drug is considered hours worked, employees from abusing drugs, prevention of hiring employees who use illegal drugs, and state law and Federal regulations compliancy (Workplace Drug Testing, 2013).
Employee safety and health are the upmost importance to any business based on the fact that without employees a company will not be able function properly. The technicality and legality of drug free policies is a well-needed effort to avoid unwanted injuries that can include fatalities in extreme cases. Pre-employment drug testing is a start to maintaining a good drug abusers away from the workplace in a n effort to protect the safety of drug free workers, and also the several companies that do participate in random drug testing for reasonable suspicion are other efforts to keep the work environment clean. Policies and procedure are to be well defined and non-contradicting. All employees are to be knowledgeable of the policy and its contents. Consent forms are to be signed by all those employees that work for whatever industry that is enforcing this act. Consent forms are expected by the company to be signed by all employees to signify that a copy of the policy has been given to the employee and that the employee will abide by the policies set forth in the legal document. Supervisors are expected to be trained in drug awareness to notice signs of an employee being under the influence, as well as being trained in drug awareness to notice signs of an employee being under the influence, as well as being trained in ways of taking charge of the situation without it getting out of control (Workplace Drug Testing, 2013).
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Since the growth of technological advances, drug testing at the workplace has been coming about more often than usual. At the time that President Reagan was present in 1986, he first began to push companies to drug test employees as well as schools and those who wish to apply for benefits as part of a rising battle on drugs. Ever since then, drug testing has become a common occurrence to the rest of the society. For many businesses drug testing has been a common tool for hiring employees and the tests come in different forms. Tests have different variety from urine based to hair based analysis test and each test does have their strengths and their weaknesses. The simplest and cheapest to use is the urine test. The easiest and most basic is called the EMIT test and it stands for enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique and involves a urine sample from the subject. The test searches for particular enzymes that produce in the body when drugs are consumed too bad for the tester this test can easily be tampered with. A more difficult and costly test is called the RIA test and it stands for radioimmunoassay and it uses the same process as the EMIT test, the difference is that this test uses a radioactive iodine as the detection method instead of an enzyme (EROWID, 2007). Drug metabolite levels are inversely proportional to the level of radioactive particles that are present. This test is much reliable and much harder for someone to tamper with. A hair test just requires just a hair strand 1.5 inches from the scalp but this test is very costly for most organizations to afford. They are much more reliable than most since drugs are easier to detect on a hair follicle since the proof of drug use permanently remains in the hair. There are several other varieties of test that range form the least expensive to the more costly kinds and to whichever is chosen by the company is what they will use to perform their drug testing amongst their employees.
Businesses feel like that they should perform drug tests for different reasons, mostly because they feel it’s a good way to protect the business from potential drug users. Once certain behavior in the workplace becomes common such as absenteeism, lost productivity, theft, accidents, violence, and higher benefits cost are all signs that trigger organizations to perform drug testing to their employers. There are studies conducted by the National Drug Free workplace alliance has shown a significant study on employee and drug relation, for example employees that intake drugs are 3.8 to 8.3 times more likely to be absent from work than those that do not consume drugs. On a higher rating scale of absenteeism, employees who do engage in drug use are normative that they miss an average of five days a month. It was also found in the same study that when employees that do engage in drug use are 33 percent less productive than their sober counter parts which can cost the business up to an average of $7,000 a year. It isn’t just only productivity among employees that can affect the business but also it is more likely for employees that are under the influence to be involved in accidents during work hours potentially threatening the company for worker’s compensation. Unfortunately other issues come about when employees are involved in drugs, they engage into delinquent behavior and tend to be the cause of theft within the company, and about 80% of abusers steal from their workplaces and also participate in violence in the workplace e as well (EROWID, 2007).
The year 1997, half of all employees reported that there was some sort of drug usage in the workplace. Those that reported having been tested, the pre hire screening process was found to be the most common way at 39% of reasonable suspicion, post accident, and random testing followed as the next most usual forms that are reported by employees. (Division of Workplace Programs, 2007). The National Drug Free Workplace Alliance had announced that in the year 2000 drug abuse was rated to have cost employers $160.7 billion, 69% of those costs have been from lost productivity as a result directly towards drug related illnesses and deaths. The work environment is not the only area that studies focus on. Drug abusers themselves have been studied and the results were high. In the year 1999, a study was placed and showed that workers that do abuse drugs or alcohol were more likely to: have miss a say of work within about the last thirty days, have worked for about three or more employers over their career, and willingly leave on a separate study done by the U.s postal Service in1989 showed that candidates that tested positive for drugs have been terminated form their jobs within three years of being hired than those candidates that have tested negatively (Division of Workplace Programs, 2007). But despite these studies, there were of course flaws in the drug testing process.
Drug tests has its limitations as far as being able to actually detect when drugs where consumed. They can only detect the use of drugs when just recently consumed during a given time period, they cannot measure the effect of the drug terms of impairment or intoxication. ( joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2007). The test can show that drugs were used weeks or even months earlier depending on the kind of test that is used for the drug testing and can not tell the difference from a one-time user from someone who would have a serious dependency problem. (Division of Workplace Programs, 2007). Some drugs naturally just stay in the body a lot longer than others, but the levels that are identified cannot tell just how much a person has consumed in drug use. Also there are other issues that come about that can deal with a false positive. There are employees that do take medication and can test positive in a drug test and be wrongfully terminated as a consequence. (Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2007). Some businesses do have a written self survey for applicants to fill out so the employers can be aware of prescribed medication that can possibly come out positive in a drug test to avoid these kinds of issues, however not all businesses take the time to do so.
Alertness and sobriety are definitely imperative for certain occupations of course like for example, train engineers need to have conductors that are not impaired bit sober a clear minded to be able to operate that kind of heavy machinery and routes. Also airline pilots, truck drivers and others that need to be able to think straight to be able to perform well and safely on their duties. Yet even in these jobs, random drug testing does not guarantee safety. Firstly, drug related employee impairment in safety sensitive jobs is rare. It is not common for a commercial airline accident linked to pilot drug use. Even after the accident with Amtrak in which several lives have been lost, investigators had revealed the train engineer had a well-known history of alcohol, not drug abuse. Computer assisted performance tests, which measure hand and eye coordination and reaction time, are actually a better way of finding whether employees are well fit for the job. NASA pilots are unfit for work if its because of substance abuse, fatigue, or physical illness. Drug tests do not prevent accidents because they do not report the root problems that lead for employees to engage in substance abuse. Nowadays its common for industries to prepare drug tests for those new hires when they apply for a position in their company. However because there are a few laws that do protect the privacy in the workplace, many workers are tested in a yearly analysis. Even though they are not suspected of drug use. Employers have the right to expect workers not to be under the influence at the workplace. But they should not have the right to require or force employees to prove their innocence by taking a drug test. Also there are serious questions about the effectiveness of drug testing in improving safety and productivity (Division of Workplace Programs, 2007).
The subject of drug testing still seems to be controversial to many who think its wrong and for those who think it is fair. It certain moments of the employees time in the company it seems like it is fair when drug testing takes place before the employee is hired to work for the company. Because if it were up to me if I was running my own company, I would think there is nothing wrong with having a drug test to be performed by new hires since I believe that I would know the type character of employee I take into my workplace. And the companies that do a yearly drug test to their employees still doesn’t seem so invasive as long as the employees are well aware of the terms and conditions of what the company requires and what the company expects for the employees to understand and commence these policies than it shouldn’t be a problem. I do however feel like it is unfair to perform a random drug test because of reasonable suspicion towards one employee, the company would have to spend a great deal of money that can be costly towards a drug test that also can be tampered with as well. I feel that it is a waste of time and money and it also gives out a sense of invasion to my employees, it can be degrading and that is something that is understandable. There are other ways to approach a situation that deals with an employee that is engaged into drug abuse, just observe the behavior notice the absentees and go from there.

References "Division of Workplace Programs." Drugfreeworkplace. N.p., 21 Nov. 2007. Web. 21 Nov. 2007. <http:/http://www.drugfreeworkplace.gov/DrugTesting/Files_Drug_Testing/Federal/Reasons%20for%20Drug%20Testing%20-%20February%202005.pdf>. Workplace Drug Testing." Workplace Drug Testing. N.p., 9 Feb. 2013. Web. 9 Feb. 2013. <http:/Http://ww.dol.gov/elaws/asp/drugfree/d "EROWID." The Vaults of EROWID. N.p., 25 Nov. 2007. Web. 25 Nov. 2007. <http:/http://www.erowid.org/psychoactives/testing/testing_faq.shtml#5>. "Joseph Rowntree Foundation." Drug testing in the workplace. N.p., 14 Nov. 2007. Web. 14 Nov. 2007. <http:/http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/find