Drug Testing In The Workplace

Drug Testing in the Workplace Drug abuse in the workplace is a very serious challenge faced by employers. The reason that drug abuse within the workplace is so serious is because it can negatively affect the company itself, the employee that is abusing the drugs, and fellow co-workers within that area. Even though we have not found the answer to completely eliminate drug abuse and bringing drugs into the workplace, drug testing is one of the most effective methods for employers to eliminate the potential harm that employees could bring into the workplace. Many variables are at risk when dealing with drug abuse in the workplace such as the quality and productivity of the goods and services offered by the company, the liability of the company

Blood and saliva tests are usually presented at random, and the test is used to reveal workers that are currently under suspicion of being under the influence of drugs while present in the workplace. Tests like these are usually presented by the employees due to suspicion of being under the influence of drugs while being present in the workplace. As for the blood test, the examiner extracts a small amount of blood from the employee, the sample is inspected, and the results are then returned within 24 hours. Swabbing a sample of saliva from the mouth is the method in which the sample collector uses to perform a saliva test. The results from a saliva test can be retrieved instantly, with a waiting time of an average of 10 minutes. Blood and saliva tests are the most accurate out of all of the tests, but the reason they are not the most frequently used is because the tests only show accurate results of drug use between 6 and 22 hours. The cost to perform a blood test on an employee usually runs around $275 a test, and the saliva tests usually costing approximately $10 a test.

Liability is one of the main reasons behind drug testing employees. Statistics from recent studies on drug abuse by American workers, workplace drug and alcohol abuse may potentially cost U.S. businesses an estimated $100 billion each year and smaller businesses are more vulnerable to drug use in the workplace but drug tested

Companies that do not require drug testing are more likely to have less productivity in their company due workplace accidents and fatalities. In National Drug-Free Workplace Alliance, it states that 33% less productivity will cost the average business $7,000 annually (NDWA). All the while, causing the quality of products to decrease and cost the company money from all the down side affects from the production loss. Some problems that employers and co-workers have to deal with by interacting with a worker that is under the influence would include carelessness, reduced productivity, decreased work quality, poor judgment, increased mistakes, and difficulty following instructions. These irresponsible actions impose the risk of possible fatalities or people in the workplace getting injured. With an individual that is under the influence of drugs, it is also common for those people to not even show up, take extended lunch breaks, and have no sense of dependability. A company should not have to face this problem by having irresponsible individuals interacting throughout the workplace, and these problems will be majorly reduced, if not, eliminated with the assistance of standardized drug