Why Drug Test?
Drug testing has become an important safety issue in the workplace for Human Resources and Safety professionals. The majority of Fortune 500 companies do drug testing. They test simply to limit the amount of drug abuse in the workplace. Drug abuse affects company profits with absenteeism, tardiness, employee turnover, moral, theft, lessened productivity, violence and crime as well.
Drug abuse costs employers between $75 and $100 billion dollars annually, according to the US Department of Labor estimates. These losses are seen in missed time, accidents, health care and workers compensation costs. Close to sixty-five percent of all accidents that occur on the job are related to drugs and/or alcohol. These substance abusers also utilize 16 times as many health related benefits and are six times more likely to file compensation claims then the normal worker.
When did companies take notice of the problem? You have to go back to 1987, where SmithKline Beecham ran a national testing laboratory and noted that just over 18% of all workers tested positive for drugs and/or alcohol. In 1997, these numbers were down to just over 5%. Although it is argued as to why the numbers are down so much over a ten-year period, for human resource departments and safety managers, drug testing is a necessary tool for keeping employee related expenses down. Some have cited the decline in numbers to people doing less drugs others say that drug abusers just don't apply at companies that test for drugs.
What do they test for and how long do drugs stay in the system?
The labs offer a variety of drug tests. The most commonly used one is five-panel test for street drugs. This test is for Marijuana, Cocaine, PCP, Opiates, and Amphetamines. Some opt for a ten-panel test that will include prescription drugs as well as the street drugs. Still some may even chose to test for alcohol.
It is typical for drugs to stay in the system anywhere from two to four days, although it is not uncommon to have chronic users of certain drugs like marijuana to stay in the system for as long as fourteen days. Valium, a sedative, can remain in the body for up to thirty days. A costlier test using hair can detect drugs up to ninety days in the system.
Also employers determine the time frame a urine sample will be given. This is to keep abusers for waiting a few days to get the drugs out of their system. Labs and drug test collection sites also take measures to keep testers from altering their test sample.
How does it work?
A person will get sent to a lab or a collection site where she will give a urine sample on site. The sample is sent to an accredited lab for analysis. If results are negative you will find out within twenty-four hours. Some employers use instant test kits. These are similar to home pregnancy tests, but the employers must handle the samples themselves. These tests results are good for immediate screening and only good for that particular time. The costs of the tests are not much cheaper the lab tests, and labs can hold on to samples for a longer period of time for retesting if necessary.
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