Complete Drug Testing Solutions � employment drug testing

Saliva Drug Testing

jeffo — Fri, 13 May 2011 21:58:16 +0000

Employers and government agencies have embraced drug testing as part of their regular screening processes. Even the United States court system uses this method to drug test its employees. For years, many companies have relied on urine tests. Today, more are turning to saliva drug testing, which is revered as an accurate, non-invasive alternative screening method.

Saliva tests work like this: the person being tested submits a saliva sample which is then placed on a test strip. If the strip stays colorless, the person being tested is drug-free. If any colors show up, it is a different story entirely—different colors represent the presence of different drugs, making it easy for testers to spot drug use. Saliva drug tests are multipanel screening devices that will detect the presence of multiple substances in one single kit.

One of the main concerns about saliva tests is the length of time that drug use shows up in the results. Experts say saliva will only detect drugs for a few days after use. So if a drug-user can stay clean for just a couple days, he or she may be able to pass a saliva test. On the other hand, urine and hair drug tests can detect drugs for a much longer period of time, enabling potential employers to determine habitual drug use.

Despite its flaws, more companies are turning to saliva tests because they are extremely easy to use and do not require a nurse or 3^rd party vendor to manage. In fact, they can be administered on-site and provide instant test results. This can be a huge cost savings to employers who frequently conduct random drug testing. One simple test administered in any office (you don’t even need a bathroom) with results in ten minutes is why saliva drug tests are quickly becoming an industrial favorite. Less invasive then urine tests yet still able to provide the same accurate results.

Nicotine Drug Testing

jeffo — Thu, 05 May 2011 18:48:12 +0000

Cigarettes are a legal drug, one that used to be considered “hip” or cool to abuse. But over the past two or so decades, public opinion has definitely turned. Smoking, by most social standards, is thought of as a bad habit with negative health risks for smokers (and some argue second-hand smokers as well).

There are dozens of drug tests on the market to check for cocaine, marijuana, and other illegal drugs—there are even home screening kits for alcohol drug tests. But many people may not know that similar nicotine drug testing can be done to identify cigarette and tobacco use.

Nicotine breaks down very quickly, which makes it difficult to spot in any tests. But when you smoke, the drug releases a byproduct called Continine. This metabolite is recognizable through a urine test, and can be spotted 2-4 days after tobacco use. As with any other drug, there are many factors that can contribute to the potency of the results, including cigarette puff size, how often you smoke, and the type of cigarettes used. Continine itself is not harmful, the nicotine and tar is what makes smoking dangerous. But it is an instant indicator of tobacco use. Continine drug testing is the industry standard when screening for nicotine and cigarette use.

Blood tests can also be used to test for Continine, though urine tests seem to be the most commonly used and easily accessible. Saliva tests do not work, since there are so many variables in your saliva that can alter the test results.

Though smoking may be a social faux pas, businesses have not yet jumped full-speed on the anti-smoking bandwagon. So if businesses aren’t buying these tests, why bother having them? Often, these tests are used by parents who are checking to see if their kids are smoking. Or in some cases a loved one made a promise to quit and tests are used as a way to show the smoker hasn’t fallen off the non-nicotine wagon. People may also need to be negative for nicotine drug tests in order to receive certain medical procedures. There are several uses outside the workplace for this type of nicotine drug testing.

The Cost of Employee Drug Use

jeffo — Mon, 02 May 2011 16:31:29 +0000

The cost of employees using drugs is far greater than one might think at first thought. Perhaps this prospect of associated costs of employee drug use is demurred by the fact that many employers subject their employees to random drug testing and pre-employment drug screening. However, this, contrary to popular belief, does not cause many persons who are using illicit drugs to refrain from using them merely because they were offered a job.

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.

Are Pre-employment Drug Tests A Violation Of Privacy?

jeffo — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:35:15 +0000

In the corporate world there has long existed a divide between the employers and employees over the issue of drug testing both before and after hiring. Many feel that asking a perspective employee to participate in a drug test is a blatant invasion of privacy; yet employers have always maintained these tests are justified, but are they? Are pre-employment drug tests a violation of privacy?

Corporations have traditionally seen drugs tests as necessary to maintain optimal productivity and as the ideal method to “weed” out the “underachievers”. However this logic is sometimes flawed as many drug users are not unproductive, underachieving, losers but in fact hardworking and responsible people. When hired employees have very few rights in the business world being that their time, energy, and personal talents all belong to the corporations that employ them. It seems that the only thing employees have control over is what goes into their bodies, which is perhaps why studies have shown that employees more often view drug abuse as a personal problem (not an issue of the corporation) and the tests for them as an invasion of their privacy. While employees that are already employed may have reason to feel invaded recent studies have shown the majority of people favor drug testing pre-employment. Since the testing is done at a time when the employer has little to no idea what he productivity of the given person is, drug use is perhaps the only thing that can identify someone as a “bad” applicant. Being a productive hired drug-using employee is one thing, but being unemployed is another. The fact that a person is both unemployed and a drug user casts serious doubt upon the work ethic of that particular person.

However issues have arisen over the applicants that are so called “randomly” drug tested. Many studies have shown that more often than not those chosen to be tested are done so not randomly, but handpicked based on racial and stereotypical views. In addition employee rights advocates have cited the large racial and hieratical disparity in the amount and type of people that are tested. Research has shown that African Americans and other minorities applying for lower level jobs are far more likely to be “randomly selected” than whites applying for upper level jobs that are often rarely selected. This hypocrisy is one of the main reasons pre-employment drug testing remains so controversial and considered by many as both unethical and an invasion of privacy.

Regardless of charges of racism and discrimination surrounding it, pre-employment drug testing is here to stay. Although many people who use recreational drugs may be hard working and talented individuals, the negative connotation of the drug user will forever deter an employer from hiring them.

Hair Follicle Drug Testing Leads to Drastic Reduction in Dangerous Drug Use

david — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:45:08 +0000

Emerging scientific data has conclusively linked the advent of powerful hair follicle drug testing to a drastic reduction in dangerous drug abuse by employees across the country. Since hair follicle drug tests became the predominant employment drug testing method, businesses and corporations, results have shown a severe decline in the abuse of cocaine and methamphetamine by the American workforce. While employees who chose to abuse illegal drugs once felt secure in their ability to evade urinalysis drug testing, the emergence of hair follicle drug testing has eliminated the ability elude detection. Since 2005, the number of positive tests for dangerous drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine has fallen dramatically, with reductions as high as 35% in some areas of the country.

The key to the tremendous success of hair follicle drug testing is the increased detection periods provided by hair analysis. Trace amounts of illicit substances can be flushed from the bloodstream in a manner of days, depending on the drug being abused, but hair follicles retain evidence of drug use for several months. This means employees cannot simply plan their drug use around the testing schedule, and when faced with the choice of losing their jobs or abstaining from drug use, the vast majority of employees simply quit abusing drugs. For employers seeking to safeguard their business or workplace, the hair follicle drug test has emerged as the most powerful tool for preventing drug abuse.

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20091120-902706.html

Prescription Drug Abuse By Employees On The Rise

david — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:25:35 +0000

As working adults across the country struggle with the stress of an ailing national economy, more members of the workforce are falling into prescription drug abuse. Because prescription drugs are legal and widely used for legitimate reasons, many people fail to make the connection between painkillers and illicit substances. Addiction and dependence is the common link, and in fact, prescription drugs are commonly found to be more addictive because they are designed to affect the brain’s neurotransmitters. Employers and business owners are struggling to combat the growing problem of prescription drug abuse by employees, with declines in productivity and safety among their highest concerns.

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

Many Circumstances Call for Employment Drug Testing

david — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:09:30 +0000

Responsible employers and business owners in this day and age probably know that there are many benefits of employment drug testing, but they may not be aware of exactly when to test under various circumstances. The most commonly used method of employment drug testing is the pre-employment screening, which occurs during the hiring process. Many employers also utilize random or periodic drug testing to ensure that long term employees are not using illicit substances. There are, however, other times which may compel an employer or business owner may wish to test his workforce for drugs or alcohol.

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

South Africa’s Successful Employment Drug Testing Program

david — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:57:16 +0000

After the South African Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence concluded that drug abuse in the workplace was costing that nation’s business sector millions of dollars per year, strong steps were taken to eliminate employee addiction. Thousands of lost man-hours due to drug related illnesses and absenteeism spurred South Africa to invest heavily in a program to detect employees with addictions. Rather than simply terminating employment in the wake of a positive test, the drug detection program in place offered targeted counseling and life management to help workers kick their addictions.

The employment drug testing program in South Africa should be used as a shining example of how similar programs in the United States can and should work. The emphasis on assisting employees who are suffering from addiction, rather than ending the work relationship entirely, is crucial in truly ending the drug use once and for all. By strictly monitoring employees, using pre-screenings during the hiring process as well as periodic random tests, companies can ensure that their workplace is drug free and as productive as possible.

http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71654?oid=153255&sn=Detail