by Robert Capwell
The effects of substance use in the workplace can be one of the most costly and yet “hidden” line-items on your income statement. Every year employers pay millions of dollars cleaning up after the mistakes made by employees using various substances in and out of office hours. Costs associated with workplace accidents, lost production, and higher worker’s compensation rates have a significant impact on your bottom line. Employing a substance user can change the culture of your workplace and affect the overall moral of your staff.
According to a study published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 74.9% of the 17.9 million current illicit substance users age 18 and over were employed. Did you know that more than 1/3 of injured employees used marijuana just a few hours prior to an accident? It’s a fact that substance users cause 3.6 times as many accidents and up to 40% of all industrial fatalities each year. If we look at these statistics from a business point of view, an employee using illicit substances will actually work at 67% of total capacity and, on top of that, add 300% higher medical expenses to your operating costs due to increased insurance premiums and workers compensation exposure. Can you really afford the overall effects due to increased liability, lost production and overall performance that these individuals bring into your company? You need to think about potential effects on your company if you don’t incorporate a testing policy.
There are a variety of testing options available, including UDS, Oral fluid, lab-based, instant testing, regulated (DOT) or non-regulated testing, on-site, and mobile testing. The particular need of each employer and the industry they serve will help determine the best testing options. For example, lab based urine testing is still the most widely used for most employers because of its convenience and accuracy; employers can provide an applicant with a Chain of Custody Form and send them directly to a clinic for urine collection. The process is pretty much “hands off” for employers as they don’t have to deal with internal training, handling of specimens, and internal setup for collecting them. Oral based testing has also become very popular with employers because of its ability to provide initial results instantly and get applicants on the job must faster. Employers can obtain a saliva sample easily from the applicant, then ship the specimen directly to a laboratory for further analysis. The only drawback to this method is its shorter detection window of determining drug use. Mobile drug collection is generally used when employers have a large number of applicants that need to be screened at the same time quickly, such as on a job site or at a remote location. Clinic professionals, equipment and a temporary collection site can be assigned and deployed on-site to administer testing. Mobile collections are often used to administer random testing as well as on a periodic basis. Mobile and instant collection methods are often used in situations that involve a workplace accident where there is a need for testing individuals involved in the mishap to clear them of suspicion of drug use. Initial test results can be determined onsite before further analysis is conducted to get each worker back on the job quickly. DOT regulations and drug testing have very specific guidelines and regulations as only certain approved methodologies can be used. Drug and alcohol testing is conducted on a pre-employment basis, and also conducted on a reoccurring random basis. Employers that hire individuals that fall under specific DOT guidelines need to have a complete understanding of protocols and government reporting guidelines to comply with these regulations. Employers that employ individuals within these regulations should seek expert advice and outside assistance when administering such a program.
Many employers only rely on pre-employment drug testing as a traditional means of testing, and often forget that chronic or habitual users will clean themselves up while looking for new employment to beat a pre-employment drug test. The false sense of comfort a Hiring Manager realizes from a clear pre-employment test is soon overshadowed by a drug related workplace accident or incident and random testing will help combat that reality. Drug detection windows are short for some drugs, so random testing will help insure a company’s protection for the lifecycle of an employee. Random drug testing is a methodology of selecting a pre-determined pool of employees to be subjected to a drug testing on a random basis. Random selection can be done monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or yearly at a pre-determined level depending on policy or even regulatory compliance needs. The objective of random testing is deterrence of consistent drug use, as the threat of detection is much higher versus pre-employment testing. Employers that truly utilize their drug testing dollars wisely by incorporating a random testing program in conjunction with their pre-employment testing protocols ensure workplace safety and reduce potential liability.
It is always best to consult a drug screening professional that can provide expert assistance with designing a program that supports your drug screening goals, company policy, and any industry or government regulatory guidelines that may affect your company. No matter the type, size or scope of your program, implementing a drug screening program will add value back to your bottom-line and ensure a safe workplace.
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