Reasons to drug test

There are many reasons companies choose to implement drug testing for their employees.

Here’s a few:
Deter employees from abusing drugs and alcohol at the workplace
Prevent hiring employees who cost more to maintain
Provide a safe workplace for employees
Protect the general public and instill consumer confidence that employees are working safely
Comply with federal regulations and/or state laws
Benefit from Insurance and other program discounts

Listed below are reasons to test an individual. Please note that the Department of Transportation has their own clear definitions for their reasons to test a safety sensitive employee.

Pre-employment tests are performed to ensure that an employee is drug and/or alcohol free prior to starting their position.

Random testing is to deter an employee from using or abusing drugs and/or alcohol. The random selection is made using a scientifically valid method to generate a minimum percentage of employees to be tested randomly throughout the year.

Reasonable Suspicion/For Cause testing is done when an employer suspects their employee is impaired and needs to rule out the possibility of the employee being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

Post Accident/Incident is done after an accident or incident, as defined in your policy, to rule out drugs and/or alcohol as a contributing factor.

Return to Duty is done after an employee fails to comply with their companies drug free workplace policy. After completing the requirements to return to work a return to duty test is then completed.

Follow Up is done when an employee has failed to comply with a drug free workplace policy, has completed the recommendations of a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) and passed their Return to Duty test. These tests are scheduled randomly and are in addition to random testing.