As drug use continues to be a persistent problem in many workplaces, drug and alcohol testing is rapidly becoming part of the hiring process in some corporations. An applicant will be required to take drug tests before being hired or be tested randomly throughout their tenure with a company. Prospective employers today are also looking for drug-free individuals because drug users are unreliable and can cause accidents in the workplace.

What Is Drug and Alcohol Testing?

Drug and alcohol testing checks for drugs or alcohol in a human's system, either by testing the blood or questioning the person. Normally, drugs or drug metabolites can be detected in the urine, blood, sweat, or saliva of people who have been using drugs over the last few days (or weeks). The test can detect if a person uses illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, PCP, and methamphetamine.

Why Is Drug and Alcohol Testing Essential?

Today, there are drug testing laws requiring drug tests before people can join the workforce, remain employed, receive benefits like unemployment insurance, and return to work after rehabilitation.

Accredited drug and alcohol testing can directly help employees having drug and alcohol problems to get treatment. At the same time, the screening contributes to increasing productivity and decreasing accidents and errors at the workplace, which helps employers save money.

Other benefits of accredited drug and alcohol testing for business owners include:

Increased Productivity

Alcohol and drug users are less productive. Typically, a drug user's sleep pattern becomes irregular, making them unable to have a proper rest at night. Lack of enough rest at night can affect their concentration during the day, significantly affecting their productivity at the workplace. They also tend to miss work more frequently, have a lower quality of work, and need more supervision than drug-free employees.

For Safety Purposes

Drug and alcohol users are more likely to cause accidents in the workplace. Since they are intoxicated, they are less aware of their capability to drive or operate heavy machinery. Also, they can't see the sense of keeping themselves and other employees safe at the workplace. As a result, they might cause fatal accidents, leading to high workers' compensation costs.

In some cases, they could interact with the drug suppliers outside the workplace, posing a security risk for your business as well. On other occasions, they will do anything for drug supply, even stealing money or the company's property.

The Bottom Line

Accredited drug and alcohol testing helps employers maintain a drug-free workplace environment where employees can concentrate on their job performance. It is cost-effective for employers as drug users are less productive, are likely to cause accidents, or are absent from work more frequently than their non-using counterparts. To learn more, contact a company that offers drug & alcohol testing.

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