It is due to these issues that most employers, including the majority of all Fortune 500 companies require an applicant and workers to participate in drug testing at work. The purpose for this type of urine screening is due to safety issues and to lessen these consequences from substance abuse.

Studies show that 65% of all accidents at the workplace, are drug related. A worker who abuses drugs average around 16% more likely to take advantage of healthcare benefits, and is also 6% more prone to file worker’s compensation.

Safety professionals find drug testing to be useful and a practical in cost. The most common type of testing is pre-employment. This is a great way to eliminate bad applicants, and people with drug problems. A pre-employment drug test requires minimal effort to set up. Another type of testing is post employment. This includes random drug tests, individualized suspicion testing, and post accidents.

An employer should have a program in place before starting their company. The tests can be managed by referring an applicant to a collection site. It is here that urine is collected and sent to a lab for analysis. Within 24 hours a negative result is usually available. A second method used is an instant drug test kit. These are similar to a take home pregnancy test. The employer must manipulate a urine sample.

The type of drugs that are tested is what is considered a standard five-panel test of “street drugs”. This includes marijuana (THC), cocaine, PCP, opiates (codeine and morphine) and amphetamines (includes methamphetamine). If an employer chooses there is also a 10-panel drug test that is able to identify prescription drugs.

Typically drugs stay in the body for 2 to 4 days. If an applicant or worker is a chronic user drugs have been known to stay in their body for 14 days, or sometimes longer. Most employers require a test to be done within a short specific amount of time. This prevents delaying an amount of time, for the drug(s) to leave the body.

The amount of money and time connected with a substance abuse employee is highly excessive than the amount of money and time involved in drug screening. Most employers find that eliminating the problem first is well worth it.

The nicotine drug testing will be able to determine an active tobacco user, a user who recently quit or a non-tobacco users. The nicotine test can also detect the amount of chemicals in a non-tobacco user who have been exposed to to 2nd hand smoke.

If a person is using nicotine replacement products in place of  tobacco the health and insurance companies may measure the amount of anabasine in your body. Anabasine is a chemical found in tobacco, but is not in any commercial nicotine replacement products.  Therefore, if a test is positive for anabasine, then you know that person is still using tobacco products.

High levels of nicotine or cotinine signify an active tobacco user. A balanced level of cotinine means this person has quit tobacco use for two or three weeks. If small amounts are found, this indicates a non-tobacco user who has been exposed to second hand smoke, or a person who has quit tobacco use for several weeks.

There are many other uses for nicotine drug tests. Sometimes an employer will require the test, if they prohibit smoking. Smoking can raise the risk of medical complications, so before some surgical procedures or drug therapies, a nicotine test can be used.

The drug test is also used for medical purposes when a nicotine overdose may be present. Some symptoms of a mild overdose include, dizziness, nausea, uncontrollable drooling, and weakness. For a more serious overdose, a person could experience, seizures, coma’s, difficulty breathing, and a drop in heart rate and blood pressure.

Additionally, while many employers do mandate drug screenings prior to and during a term of employment, many also do not. And, drug screenings are not infallible, meaning that there are some unscrupulous methods that drug users take to defeat them. Lastly, some drugs – such as cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin – are only present in the system for so long. On that basis, if an employee is aware of the dates on which they will be subjected to a urine drug test – which most often is not something extensive and revealing, like a hair follicle drug test – they can better prepare to pass that test if they think that they might fail it.

So what are the costs of employee drug usage?

What is the impact of employee drug usage? It’s far greater than most people presume.

According to recent statistics, nearly 12-million people in the United States are currently using or abusing illicit substances, which can denote any kind of a drug. Far more are frequently using or abusing alcohol. Out of these 12-million persons, just over 9-million of them are employed at a job, either full time or part time. According to an expert study that was conducted as a Firestone Study, employees who are currently abusing or even using drugs are absent about five times more than employees who are not. Furthermore, the cost of employees using or abusing illegal drugs costs the United States nearly $250-billion annually due to the loss of productively.

It is important to note that these numbers lean greatly upon those who are abusing alcohol, which is a legal substance. About 60% of these productivity numbers actually stem from alcohol abuse, and not illegal drug abuse. Luckily there is even alcohol drug testing you can do on-site the minute you suspect an employee is drinking alcohol at work. So when you break down the real numbers, nearly $100-billion dollars is lost every year in productivity at the workplace due to the abuse of illicit drugs. Some additional studies have also demonstrated that most people who are using these drugs use them for recreation, and are not considered to be addicts.

All FDA approved drug testing kits are required to meet the accuracy level provided by more expensive laboratory testing, which means parents and employers can gain the same peace of mind at a fraction of the cost. It is important to check for FDA approval before purchasing any drug testing kit, because without this approval you are at risk of spending money on a product that provides unreliable results. The steps taken by the FDA to safeguard the home drug testing kit market have proven to be highly successful, and today millions of Americans use drug testing kits at home or in the workplace to help prevent drug abuse.

http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/default.htm

Due to reports from members of the construction industry that employee drug use was compromising safety and productivity, lawmakers worked quickly to require employee drug testing. Reception to the law has been highly positive so far, with on the job accidents being reduced and contractors reporting a rise in productivity. Other states around the country have noticed West Virginia’s success with workplace drug testing, and similar proposals are being considered.

http://www.timeswv.com/business/local_story_209005307.html

The latest innovations in employment drug testing have targeted the rise in prescription drug abuse. Prescription drug testing kits have become the tool of choice for employers seeking to safeguard their workplace. These kits are simple to use, and will detect commonly abused prescription drugs such as Vicodin, Oxycontin, Adderall, and Hydrocodone. Employers can use prescription drug testing kits to dissuade workers from abusing painkillers or mood-altering prescriptions, while also protecting their business assets.

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2005/09/26/focus5.html

For employers who want to ensure that their workplace or staff is drug free in the most convenient way possible, saliva drug testing is the perfect choice. Saliva drug test kits can be stored on-site and used quickly and simply, forgoing the need for expensive laboratory time. Employees have been highly receptive to the ease of saliva drug testing, so you can protect your business from employee drug abuse while also retaining the morale and respect of your workforce.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/116026/

There are approximately 14.8 million drug users in the United States, and more than 3/4 of them hold jobs. Data from government studies has shown that drug users are “almost four times as likely to be involved in a workplace accident as sober workers, and five times as likely to file a workers’ compensation claim. Employees who use drugs also miss more days of work, are late more often and leave jobs without an explanation at a greater rate. These factors can wreak havoc on a business owner’s bottom line, costing them huge portions of profit in lost productivity, workman’s compensation claims, and property damage. A standard drug test, whether it be a urinalysis or hair follicle test costs as little as $2 per person and can significantly reduce the occurrence of drug use by employees.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/business/worldbusiness/10iht-users.4.5654684.html

Reasonable suspicion testing is used by employers who have a legitimate reason to think an employee is using drugs. Observable symptoms of drug use, erratic behavior, or excessive absenteeism can all provide a basis for reasonable suspicion testing. Post-accident drug testing is used in the immediate aftermath of an on the job accident. This type of employment drug testing is crucial because, more often than not, on the job accidents result in property damage or personal injury. In these cases, liability becomes the main issue and determining if any of the parties involved were influenced by drugs or alcohol can protect employers from unscrupulous lawsuits or worker’s compensation claims. Return to duty drug testing is used when an employee is returning to work from a long period away, perhaps for maternity leave or a personal sabbatical. This type of employment drug testing should also be used for employees who have failed a drug test previously and have completed the necessary counseling and recovery efforts.

http://www.dol.gov/asp/programs/drugs/workingpartners/dfworkplace/dt.asp

Fortunately for vigilant employers, there is a new drug testing option available which is far more powerful than simple urinalysis testing. The hair follicle drug test eliminates the problem of drug-users altering their habits to evade detection, because hair follicle drug testing can establish drug usage patterns over a period of up to 90 days. In order to truly pass a hair follicle drug test, a current or prospective employee’s only option is to quit using drugs entirely. To ensure that your office or workplace is 100% completely drug-free, the most effective and efficient drug testing option is the hair follicle drug test.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/business/13count.html