Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from June, 2016

Random Drug Testing Benefits Employers

Drug testing programs aim to prevent the hiring of drug-using applicants while deterring drug use among current employees. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 21.4 percent of employed adults used illicit drugs within the past month. Results from the 2014 Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index™ (DTI) show that, in the general U.S. workforce, random urine drug test positivity rates are higher (5.7 percent) than they are for pre-employment (4.0 percent) or periodic (1.6 percent). Random or “spot” drug testing works as a drug use deterrent because these programs are conducted in an unannounced and unpredictable manner. Utilizing a random drug testing program may help employers by: Deterring current employees from engaging in drug use Preventing the need for substance abuse recovery programs Helping reduce health insurance costs Improving attendance and employee productivity Providing a safer workplace with reduced accidents However, set

Employers Struggle to Find Potential Employees Who Can Pass Drug Test

Employers report they are having difficulty finding workers who can pass a pre-employment drug test, The New York Times reports. Drug testing is becoming increasingly common at companies of all sizes. In some industries, such as trucking, drug testing is mandated by federal law for safety reasons. The trend reflects an increase in the use of marijuana, as well as heroin and other opioid drugs, the article notes. In June 2015, Quest Diagnostics found the percentage of American workers testing positive for illicit drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine increased for the second consecutive year in the general U.S. workforce. The positivity rate for approximately 6.6 million urine drug tests increased to 4.7 percent in 2014, compared with 4.3 percent the previous year. Dr. Barry Sample, Quest’s Director of Science and Technology, said the problem used to be worse. “If we go back to 1988, the combined U.S. work force positivity was 13.6 percent when drug testing was new,”