Urine tests for employment
The most commonly used drug test for prior employment is the urine test. It is inexpensive and can identify medications that have been used in the last days up to 30 days before the test is done. The 5-panel drug test commonly used for this purpose checks for marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, PCPs, and opiates.
Urine tests can also detect other drugs if a 10 panel drug test is administered. These can test for LSD, MDA, inhalants, methadone, propoxyphene, barbiturates, or alcohol, and more employers are starting to use them for pre-employment screening rather than 5-panel tests. Employers who have already hired a worker may require a urine test for these medications if they suspect drug use or if there has been an accident at work.
A job applicant or current employee may not pass a urine test due to taking over-the-counter medications. These medications can cause a false positive test result. Some of the commonly used medications are ibuprofen, Sudafed, Vicks 44, ephedrine diet pills, and others. If there are any questions about a positive test result, the company conducting the test will contact the worker and find out if the person is taking any legally prescribed medications that may have caused this reaction. Many drug testing facilities have a Medical Review Officer who is a doctor who reviews the test results. This doctor often contacts people with positive test results. A second test could be done on the second vial of urine that is kept for this purpose only. This second test is more expensive than the first routine urine test, but employers who are very interested in hiring an applicant or retaining a good employee may want to invest in this test. Sometimes workers or job applicants offer to pay for the second test when they know they have not used illegal drugs.
Many large corporations, including Fortune 500 companies, require urine testing prior to employment. It is becoming rare not to require it. Even small businesses are realizing the benefits of urine drug testing. It can prevent drug abusers from working for a company, and it can eliminate drug abusers who are already hired. Many problems are avoided for employers requiring urine drug testing. In fact, employers find that pre-employment drug tests weed out employees with drug problems, preventing the applicant’s problem from becoming a company problem.
Urine drug tests are inexpensive. It costs most small and medium-sized businesses $ 50- $ 80 per test, and the testing company will usually handle the paperwork and follow-up. When there is more test volume, those prices can be lower. The testing fee will be much less than what the employer will have to pay for the problems that hiring a person with a drug problem could bring to the company. Right Management Survey found that “the replacement cost of a bad hire is up to three times the salary of the job in question.”
According to the United States Department of Labor, drug use costs companies between $ 75 and $ 100 billion a year. The costs of health care and workers’ compensation insurance are higher, there is a greater chance of an accident and more time away from work, not to mention lost productivity.