Drug use does not belong in the workplace. A person would not appreciate a banker on drugs depositing his or her money in the wrong account. This person would probably complain to the manager and want to switch banks. In today's workforce there are jobs held by employees on drugs. Drug testing can eliminate drug abusers in the workplace. However, testing in the workplace has become a controversial issue in today's world. Most drug testing is complex and has many procedures. Since using drugs is against the law, and drugs can cause harm to people who take them, companies should use drug testing to dismiss employees using drugs. Drug testing should be a mandatory practice in the workplace to stop drug abuse and help employees be more productive on the job, follow safety regulations, and avoid absences. Contemporary drug testing in the workplace began in 1986 when President Reagan required federal employees to be tested. There are several drug test techniques to detect the presence within the body. …show more content…
In the process of drug testing, there are two possible outcomes, either a negative or a positive one. Most drug testing performed today is accurate and eliminates the possibility of false positives because of the procedures that are closely followed. If the result is positive for drug use, then a more sensitive test is given to make sure it is accurate. The results are reviewed by a trained physician who contacts the employer or company to notify them of drug use by an employee. A complication to the positive result, may be an employee having a legitimate reason for drugs in his or her system. If an employee has a prescription drug prescribed by a doctor, the drug testing will be positive. A second possible outcome of drug testing is a negative result. This means there are no traces of drugs in the sample. The positive or negative outcome of drug testing make or break a worker’s
The chapter, Selling in Minnesota, had some disturbing information about the low wage life. As I read, I learned that every place the author went to apply, such as a Wal-Mart and a Home Depot type place called Menards, required the applicant to pass a drug test. The author went out and had to buy detox for $30, but can be up to $60. Also, I learn that 81% of employers do drug test their future employees. I don’t like this statistic, in part because I tried getting a job at Marshall Field’s restaurant and they required me to pass a drug test. Luckily, another employer called me before my scheduled drug screening (which I had planned on passing by being really sneaky and using the urine of a friend of mine), so I took that job offer and everything worked out well. The reason I don’t agree with the drug testing required to access most entry-level jobs, is because the only drugs they actually test for is Marijuana. Cocaine and heroine leave the body within three days, and other drugs aren’t even tested for. So that leaves the most commonly used illicit drug, and one that has the least affect on the user, to be tested for.
Drug Testing has progressively become very popular in today's low wage jobs. Jobs like Wal-Mart, Sav-on, Block Buster and many burger establishments; where the starting salary is seven dollars and twenty cents an hour requires its applicants to be drug tested before they are hired. Drug testing is based on a blue collar, white collar division.
This is why we need to test for drugs at the Olympics. Drug Testing at the Olympics began only recently at the 1968 Games held in Mexico1. Drugs are banned for two very good reasons: the use of drugs produces an unfair advantage, and it is hazardous for the athlete to take them. While drug testing is now commonplace, the procedures are still fairly primitive and arouse much controversy2. We all remember the Andreea Raducan situation from the Sydney Olympics.
While employment screening in the healthcare sector is decidedly standard, the law does often not require drug and alcohol testing. Substance abuse is one of the leading causes of disciplinary action against a nursing license in the U.S. Random drug screenings are used to detect the use of unapproved or illegal drugs for the purpose of upholding patient safety (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2006). The American Nurses Association (ANA) estimates that six to eight percent of nurses use alcohol or drugs to a degree that would impair professional judgment (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2011). Approximately one-third of the one percent of actively licensed nurses are disciplined each year for their substance misconduct (Kenward, 2008). Protecting patients from unsafe practices and personnel is the primary responsibility of each supervisory board of nursing. However, the fear of punishment from the board or termination keeps many nurses unwilling to come forward (Maher-Brisen 2007). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the viability of mandating random drug testing for nurses and other health professionals. The objective of this would be to address the rooted issues of substance abuse and decrease the risk of harm to patients under the healthcare provider’s care.
The arguments against drug testing are that it is excessively invasive, may damage relations between employers and employees, and could hamper the recruitment and retention of good staff. In 1986, the Regan administration recommended a drug-testing program for employers. In 1991, the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991 was passed. It requires mandatory drug testing in trucking and other industries. Over the past 25 years, drug testing in the military has increased.
Mckinney, Joseph R. "The Effectiveness and Legality of Random Student Drug Testing Programs Revisited." RandomStudentDrugTesting.org. 2005. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
One of the significant issues that frequently evident by the organizations is the privacy policy related to workers. According to Wright (2013), the utilization of workplace drug testing policy by the employers might affect the workers' behavior outside the workplace.
One of the most common arguments in favor of drug testing in the workplace is to prevent occupational injuries and associated costs. There is also a concern with lost productivity due to impairment caused by illicit drug use while on the job. A study found that “the annual costs of these workplace injuries and illnesses...
Some high schools require athletes to submit to random chemical testing for illegal drug use. On the other hand, other schools and coaches believe that random drug testing is stating that all athletes are guilty of wrongdoing instead of believing they are innocent. There can be advantages and disadvantages to both sides, although random chemical testing for illegal drug use is the smartest idea. Having random drug tests is used for precautions, influences some to not do drugs if they are considering it, and encourages students to be their best.
Responsibility and accountability become important when medical staff gives or doses patients with medication. The chance for making a medication error presents itself at all times. Those passing medications must follow established policies and procedures developed and laid forth by t...
Implications of implementing this approach may be “to reduce the dangers of drug use for the community and the individual, and to shift the focus of illegal drugs as primarily a criminal justice of medical issue to a social and/or public health iss...
Inappropriate drug use causes loss of responsibility, illnesses, marriage difficulties, shorter life spans, financial struggles, theft, accidents, lack of parenting, bad role models and more laws. Now I’m not saying all the problems are only do to drugs and if there was appropriate drug use our society would be perfect, no I’m saying drug use in our society has made an impact and in this case not for the better. The cost of inappropriate drug use to society is something that many overlook and others simply don’t care to recognize
It is also very hard to decide if the test is an invasion of employee privacy. “The ethical status of workplace drug testing can be expressed as a question of competing interests, between the employer’s right to use testing to reduce drug related harms and maximize profits, over against the employee’s right to privacy, particularly with regard to drug use which occurs outside the workplace.” (Cranford 2). The rights of the employee have to be considered. The Supreme Court case, Griswold vs. Connecticut, outlines the idea that every person is entitled to a privacy zone.
When employees get hired, they get a drug test due to the fact that the drug testing can prove if the person they are hiring is a good person for their business. For an example “Approximately eighty-one percent of companies in the United States administer drug testing to their employees.” Drug testing also proves that people who passes it are clean and responsible people who the company can trust on doing their job well done and showing overall percentage of the US using drug testing (Chodorow). People who cheat on a drug test and gets a job will later ruin their job of getting into accidents during working and or start a fight with the boss or coworkers unknowingly just because they were high on drugs. That is why companies strive to do drug tests every time they hire an employee now due to the fact that they don’t want to be reliable for an employee who isn’t responsible and trustworthy of their time at their company. Which it will affect the company financially once employees gets hurt on their job. An employee who is not a drug abuser can really benefit a company by not causing trouble for themselves getting hurt in the company and also the business not being reliable for anything that is caused by the employee; who was not responsible. Another example is that reports confirm that 80% of those injured in “serious drug related accidents are innocent coworkers.” And after it began requiring accidents drug
Mandatory and Random drug testing in schools are being more used today in our society. Mandatory drug testing is a test to show the school and the government about the well being of us teenagers.