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Employment and Pre-employment drug test
The following reasons for testing are generally included in a comprehensive
workplace drug testing program (SHAMSA
Guideline):
- Pre-employment Test - An individual is required to provide a
specimen during the job application process. Generally, a negative drug result
is required before an employer may offer employment to an individual.
- Random Test - An employer selects, using a truly random selection
process, one or more individuals from all the employees included in the
employer’s workplace drug testing program. A random selection process
precludes an employer from attempting to pre-select a particular employee for
a drug test.
- Reasonable Suspicion/Cause Test - An employee is required to
provide a specimen when there is sufficient evidence to indicate that the
employee may have used an illicit substance. Typically, the evidence is based
on the direct observations made by supervisors or co-workers that an employee
has used or possesses illicit substances, exhibits physical symptoms of being
under the influence, and has patterns of abnormal or erratic behavior.
- Post-accident Test - An employee is required to provide a specimen
after being involved in an accident or incident on the job. The results of
such a test may provide evidence as to the cause of the accident or incident.
- Return to Duty Test - An employee is required to provide a specimen
to ensure that the employee is drug-free before being allowed to return to
work.
- Follow-up Test - An employee is tested at random intervals after
returning to work to ensure that the employee remains drug-free.
Workers who smoke marijuana are more likely than their coworkers to have
problems on the job. Several studies have associated workers marijuana smoking
with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers' compensation claims, and
job turnover. A study among postal workers found that employees who tested
positive for marijuana on a pre-employment urine drug test had 55 percent more
industrial accidents, 85 percent more injuries, and a 75 percent increase in
absenteeism compared with those who tested negative for marijuana use
Employment and pre-employment drug test is the most common type of drug test used by businesses. It has
the advantage of being inexpensive, since only one test per employee needs to be
paid for by the company. This is also a fairly effective way of identifying
certain types of potential employees. There are two major groups of people this
type of test will catch. The first is the true drug addict who is unable to stop
taking the drugs, even for a few days, and will thus fail this test every time.
The second type of person normally caught by this testing regimen is the person
who isn't informed enough, or for some other reason does not stop using the drug(s) before the test. In this second case, some employers consider this more
of an intelligence test than anything else, since this second individual is
capable of quitting, yet doesn't do so before applying for the job. The goal for
this test is to screen out individuals who may have a drug problem.
SAMSHA recommendations for organizing employment
drug testing.
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