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Substance abuse is a serious workplace problem.
Studies show that when comparing drug-free workers with
alcohol/drug abusers, substance abusers are more likely
to be:
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Far less productive.
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Miss more workdays.
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More likely to injure themselves or someone
else.
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File more workers' compensation claims.
It is even more difficult to put a price tag on the low
morale and impaired judgment at work caused by substance
abuse or alcohol use on the job. Nor is it easy for a
company to determine the actual costs of pilfering, high
turnover, recruitment, and training. The measurable
dollar costs of workplace substance abuse from
absenteeism, overtime pay, tardiness, sick leave,
insurance claims, and workers' compensation can be
substantial. However, the hidden costs resulting from
diverted supervisory and managerial time, friction among
workers, damage to equipment, and damage to the
company's public image means that workplace substance
abuse can further cut profits and competitiveness.
Nobody wants to believe that a
friend or an employee has a substance abuse or drinking
problem.
To dismiss the price of substance abuse and alcohol
misuse as "the cost of doing business" or "being a
friend" is to accept a norm that does not have to be
accepted. Subtle changes in behavior may be written off
or not recorded because no one knows how or wants to
confront the problem. But when behaviors or attitudes
that diminish work performance are ignored or excused,
workers who are harmfully involved with alcohol or other
drugs are allowed to continue to be a risk to themselves
and their co-workers.
Refusal to admit to the possibility that alcohol or
other drug use might exist at a worksite could also be a
missed opportunity to help an employee. If there is a
problem, ignoring it will not make it go away. Drug and
alcohol problems do not usually get better if left
alone: they get worse.
Over 80% of the Fortune 500 companies require drug and
alcohol testing of their employees. These companies
understand that substance-abuse costs industry over
$165,000,000,000 annually in loss of productivity,
theft, accidents, absenteeism, increased workers'
compensation, and health care. They also know that drug
and alcohol testing works, and that the implementation
of a drug testing program significantly reduces positive
test-results. It screens new employees for substance
abuse, and identifies employees who may need treatment.
This results in financial savings, and makes your
workplace both more productive and safer for others.
Conducting drug and alcohol tests nationwide has enabled
Drug Testing Network to provide customized drug and
alcohol and substance abuse programs to any
organization, regardless of industry or location.
Whether you are a regulated or non-regulated industry,
we will create a program that meets your requirements.
Statistics prove that drug and alcohol testing works! In
tests of employees in DOT safety sensitive regulated
industries, 3.5% tested positive for drugs. Testing in
the general workforce reveals 5.2% tested positive for
drugs, 50% higher than regulated industries. Samples
submitted from the general workforce (tests at the
request of a manager or supervisor, referred to as tests
for reasonable suspicion), resulted in over 26% positive
for drugs.
The consequences of positive testing for drugs and
alcohol in the workplace are higher costs to the
employer resulting from loss of productivity, theft,
accidents, absenteeism, increased costs for workers
compensation benefits and health care, and increased
premiums for liability insurance and compensation.
In Southern California, Drug Testing Network can provide
on-site specimen collection services and provide
programs that meet Federal Standards by following DOT
regulations. We can provide supervisor-training courses
that are designed to educate supervisors on how to
recognize the symptoms of drug and / or alcohol abuse,
how to handle different situations, and how to document
events as they occur. In addition we can provide
off-site collection facilities, independent laboratories
and medical review for DOT and Non-DOT testing.
These programs will insure increased productivity and
safety for the employees in your workplace without
burdening you financially. In addition it will free your
staff from performing these management functions.
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Facts
Companies that offer drug education programs as well
as testing have lower test-positive rates than those
that provide only testing.
Only 5% of companies neither test employees nor
offer drug education programs.
Action on test-positive employees: 31% of companies
dismiss test-positives, and more than half of these
offer no other alternative. The rest regard firing
as a last resort, after counseling and disciplinary
actions have been tried.
68% of companies test new hires. Tests are rarely
given as part of the application process per se;
instead testing occurs when the applicant has
already been offered the job. The offer is then
conditional on the applicant passing the test.
1% of companies that test new hires will hire
test-positives on a probationary basis; 95%
specifically state that test-positives will not be
hired, the rest take other actions, such as
retesting at a later date.
Methods
82.1% use urine testing. 12.9% use blood testing.
1.1% use hair testing. 0.9% use performance testing.
Of those who use urine testing, only 70% retest an
initial positive with a more rigorous, confirmatory
test. 13% repeat the same procedure on the same
sample. 5% take and test a new sample. 7% perform no
validation.
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Only 79% of those that use the urine test use
DOT/NIDA-certified labs.
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Only 48% use a medical review officer (MRO).
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Pre-Employment Testing
Pre-Employment Testing - Offering employment
only after a negative drug test result.
Goal: To decrease the chance of hiring someone who
is currently using or abusing drugs.
Pre-Promotion Tests. Testing employees prior
to promotion within the organization.
Goal: To decrease the chance of promoting someone
who is currently using or abusing drugs.
Annual Physical Tests. Testing employees for
alcohol and other drug use as part of their annual
physical.
Goal: To identify current users and abusers so they
can be referred for assistance and/or disciplinary
action
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Post-Accident Testing
Testing employees who are involved in an accident or
unsafe practice incident to help determine whether
alcohol or other drug use was a factor.
Goal: To protect the safety of the employees, and to
identify and refer to treatment those persons whose
alcohol or other drug use threatens the safety of
the workplace
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Random Testing
Testing a selected group of employees at random and
unpredictable Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif. Most
commonly used in safety- and security-sensitive
positions.
Goal: To discourage use and abuse by making testing
unpredictable, and to identify current users and
abusers so they can be referred for assistance
and/or disciplinary action if needed.
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Follow-up / Return to Duty Testing
Periodically testing employees who return to work
after participating in an alcohol or other drug
rehabilitation program.
Goal: To encourage and ensure that employees remain
drug-free after they have completed the first stages
of treatment.
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Reasonable Suspicion Testing
Testing employees who show obvious signs of being
unfit for duty (For Cause) or have documented
patterns of unsafe work behavior (Reasonable
Suspicion).
Goal: To protect the safety and well-being of the
employee and other coworkers and to provide the
opportunity for rehabilitation if the employee tests
positive.
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Medical Review Officer
This is a licensed physician who reviews test
results and reports the findings directly to the
employer to maintain the privacy and confidentiality
of the test results.
Goals:
- Serves as arbitrator
between the laboratory and the employer.
- Reviews and interpret
positive results.
- Examines the possible
alternate medical explanations for any positive
results.
- Examines medical
records and data on the individual being
tested.
- The MRO make the final
decision on all test results.
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