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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:
- Far
less productive.
- Miss
more workdays.
- More
likely to injure themselves or someone else.
- 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 urinetesting. 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.
- Only
79% of those that use the urine test use DOT/NIDA-certified
labs.
- 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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