Essay On Drug Testing In The Workplace

Drug use does not belong in the workplace. A person would not appreciate a banker on drugs depositing his or her money in the wrong account. This person would probably complain to the manager and want to switch banks. In today's workforce there are jobs held by employees on drugs. Drug testing can eliminate drug abusers in the workplace. However, testing in the workplace has become a controversial issue in today's world. Most drug testing is complex and has many procedures. Since using drugs is against the law, and drugs can cause harm to people who take them, companies should use drug testing to dismiss employees using drugs. Drug testing should be a mandatory practice in the workplace to stop drug abuse and help employees be more productive on the job, follow safety regulations, and avoid absences.

Contemporary drug testing in the workplace began in 1986 when President Reagan required federal employees to be tested. There are several drug test techniques to detect the presence within the body.

Some of the techniques to test for drug use include blood testing, hair testing, urine testing and broad spectrum testing. Urine testing is the most common and least expensive type of drug testing. Urine testing occurs when the patient urinates in a labeled container. Then sent to a laboratory to analyze urine for different types of drugs. There are several types of urine tests including Enzyme Multiplied Immunoassay Technique, Thin Layer Chromatography, and Radioimmunoassay. Some drugs can remain in the urine for various amounts of time as Repa stated, “ cocaine for 48 hours to 96 hours, and marijuana from two days to two months, depending on use” (Repa 134). An addition to urine testing, blood testing is used to detect drug use. The blood tests are drawn by a phlebotomist or nurse. A needle is inserted into the vein of the patient's arm and blood is collected in a vial. The blood is sent to a lab for testing to determine if there are any traces of drugs in the person's body. Blood tests are expensive and getting results can be slow. Therefore, testing a hair specimen of a person is becoming a popular technique because it is a fast and easy method. Hair testing is less invasive than blood testing. Analyzing a person’s hair, can detect drug use as far back as ninety days. The hair that is tested has to be one and a half inches long and the thickness of a pencil. Finally, broad spectrum tests can be used to test for drug use in a large area. Broad spectrum tests work by testing the environment instead of the body fluids of a person. These tests can tell if drugs have been handled in a particular environment. The main objection to this test is the lack of information that can be obtained from the person using the drug. Since a large area is tested, it does not tell which employee is using the drug, only that the drug is present on a person or location. A chemically treated cloth is used to wipe over clothing or furniture and then the cloth is tested for drug residue. These different types of tests are used to drug test people in a variety of workplaces.
After one of the above tests have been performed, drug use can be determined.

In the process of drug testing, there are two possible outcomes, either a negative or a positive one. Most drug testing performed today is accurate and eliminates the possibility of false positives because of the procedures that are closely followed. If the result is positive for drug use, then a more sensitive test is given to make sure it is accurate. The results are reviewed by a trained physician who contacts the employer or company to notify them of drug use by an employee. A complication to the positive result, may be an employee having a legitimate reason for drugs in his or her system. If an employee has a prescription drug prescribed by a doctor, the drug testing will be positive. A second possible outcome of drug testing is a negative result. This means there are no traces of drugs in the sample. The positive or negative outcome of drug testing make or break a worker’s

career.
Drug testing in the workplace can have many benefits especially in today's world because drugs are on the rise. When people are abusing drugs, it impairs their ability to work. In the article, “Drug Use is on the Rise Among Workers in the U.S.” written by Lauren Weber, it informs the reader of an increase of drugs. Weber states, “A survey by the Department of Health and Human Services found that in 2013, 9.4% of Americans age 12 or older had used illicit drugs in the month before the survey interview was conducted… and 8.7% in 2011” (Weber 1). Since drug use is on the rise, employers need to start educating their employees of the dangers of drugs and crack down on employee drug use. Some companies have started educating their employees. For instance, a truck driving company is having safety meetings and communicating with the drivers “that federal laws forbid them from smoking pot, even if their local governments allow it” (Weber 1). This company is on the right track in trying to stop the problem before it causes damage to the company. Using drugs while driving is dangerous and can lead to many problems including reckless driving and car accidents. If a truck driver is using drugs and causes an accident, lawsuits against the company and the driver would most likely occur. Using drugs impairs the brain and causes one to process data incorrectly and not rationally think about future outcomes. Employees using drugs can harm the drug user, as well as customers, if they cause harm to others while trying to work under the influence of drugs. In certain types of jobs, the customers’ lives depend on the employee being alert and drug free, such as airline pilots, police officers, and prison officers. Drug testing should be conducted and enforced. If someone has a positive test result, he or she would be fired immediately.
Getting rid of all employees using drugs helps create a safer environment. The American Playworld Company is another company that is using drug testing to reduce the abuse of drugs in the workplace. In the article written by Clayton, the author states, “The managers started an extensive drug testing program. One year later, the number of on-the-job accidents was cut in half and so was the cost of insurance” (Clayton 47). This example shows how valuable drug testing can be to workplace safety. Multiple other studies were done including one conducted by the U.S. Postal Service. After analyzing the research, the U.S. Postal Service found that drug addicted workers were involved in over half the accidents that occurred. The evidence is clear that drug testing should become a mandatory practice in workplaces to protect the safety of employees and minimize accidents in the workplace.
Having employees participate in drug testing, allows employers and companies to be informed of who is breaking the law by using drugs. In every state, there are certain criterias that employers have to follow in terms of drug testing. For example, Repa states, in Maryland the employers are allowed to drug test when screening applicants, and existing employees can be tested for business purposes only. In Maryland, the drug testing sample needs to be evaluated by a certified laboratory. If an employee has a positive test result, he or she will be given a copy of the results in writing. The employer will also give the employee the company’s written drug policy and what will happen if a positive result is found. With the information gained from drug testing, companies can eliminate lawbreakers that abuse drugs by firing the individuals that have tested positive for drug use. To eliminate the problem of drug testing many employers have expanded drug testing as part of the hiring process. This helps the company to avoid hiring employees that would probably be fired from abusing drugs on the job. International Paper is a company that uses drug testing as part of the hiring process. Weber states, “At one location, the company experimented with using hair tests, which examine strands of hair and can detect drug use as far back as 90 days, compared with a few days or weeks for urine tests. International Paper’s screening procedures found drug traces in about 1.4% of job candidates and 2% of employees tested randomly in 2014” (Weber 2). Drug testing during the hiring process, as well as, throughout a person’s career is important in eliminating employees who abuse drugs.
Drug testing should be mandatory to cut down on absenteeism. Employees that are drug abusers are two times as likely to be absent eight or more days a year. The essence of Anderson’s argument is that drug users miss more days of work than people who do not use drugs. Drug users are also likely to be late to work and are not reliable. This can affect the business productivity and the profit that the company makes. Substance abuse in the workplace imposes high costs to the company. In the article by Carpenter, the results of a study explain that high costs are due to “lower productivity, increased absenteeism, and more workplace accidents. Partially as a response to these costs, employers have responded by implementing a variety of policies and programs designed to reduce employee substance abuse” (Carpenter 1). Carpenter provides evidence of many companies deciding to help reduce drug abuse by enforcing drug testing. All companies should follow their lead and begin drug testing. In addition, Greg Beto said in his article, “Americans learned to stop worrying and love workplace drug testing” (Beto 1). This reinforces that many Americans have accepted the fact that drug testing is helping create a safer environment. As a result, fewer work days are missed when employees do not abuse drugs and they are more productive in a safe environment.
The cost of drug testing is a controversial issue. Both sides of the drug testing argument disagree with the cost of drug testing. The people in favor of drug testing say it saves money in the long run by keeping health care costs down. In contrast the people against drug testing say it cost them a lot of money to perform the tests. Companies lose money in connection due to drug use in the workplace for several reason including medical costs, absenteeism, lost productivity and employee turnover. These are the reasons why drug testing is necessary. Naturally, companies are spending millions of dollars drug testing their employees. However, if they can get rid of drug users by drug testing then they actually save money on medical bills. Rosen reports that drug users have medical bills that can cost about 300 percent more than non-drug users. Another cost to an employer is the high turnover rate when employees are terminated. It costs a business, an average of seven thousand dollars to replace a worker. There is an additional cost comes when drug addicts file workers’ compensation claims. Almost half of the accidents reported on the job are related to drug abuse in the workplace and five times as many claims to the company. The company may have to pay the costs due to the accident that occurs because of drug abuse. In Rosen's online article, he said, “According to various studies over the past two decades, workplace drug abuse is estimated to drain somewhere between $60 billion to well over $200 billion from American businesses” (Rosen 1). This can be hard on small companies that can not overcome the huge financial loss. Smaller firms are less likely to drug test because of the high costs. Although, drug testing can save money for a company by establishing a drug-free workplace. There are less accidents and higher productivity levels when employees are not using drugs in the workplace.
Furthermore in the opposition of this argument, many believe that drug testing is a violation of privacy. The employer can gain personal medical information about the employee from drug testing. Besides showing that the employee is on drugs the test can show medical condition such as diabetes, heart problems, and other diseases. This is unfair to the employee because it can expose their private life. Every U.S. citizen has the right to privacy that was granted by the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment is the freedom of unwarranted search. The opposition argues that blood and urine should not be allowed to be checked without a reason for the test. On the other hand, if there is a reason for the drug test then the amendment does not apply. This occurs when an employer notices or smells something suspicious about an employee and requests a drug test to be performed. Under these circumstances, the Fourth Amendment can be overlooked and the laws of the state can take over.
Overall, there are many important reasons to drug test in today's society. Drug testing will help make our world a safer and more productive place. Afterall it would unsafe for a heart surgeon that was on drugs to perform a surgery on a patient. This brings to the forefront the reasons for drug testing employee drug testing. The customer would be angry and stop shopping at that store. This would affect the business at the store to become negative and they would lose customers. Overall drug testing can benefit workplaces for the better in many ways. Drug testing lowers on site accidents and helps avoid absences. Testing can increase workplace safety, and make our malls, offices, and factories more profitable. All work employers should test all new job applicants in order to make sure there are no drug traces in their systems. With drug testing done in workplaces we learn who is breaking the law and committing crimes. It can be put to a stop at once. All employees that are breaking the law should be fired immediately. Consequently, a safer environment, less absenteeism, and more productive employees validate the reasons to perform drug tests on employees.