Substance Testing in the Workplace

Drug testing in the workplace is becoming as common as filling out a job application for more companies every day. There are many situations in which an employer could request that a drug or alcohol screen be performed, including: Pre-Placement, Random, Post Accident, Reasonable Suspicion/Just Cause, or Return to Duty. Though there is not a defined or written guideline on what drugs to test for or when to test your employees, there are recommended things a company can do before instituting a drug and alcohol screening policy.

The most important thing a company can do to protect themselves and their employees is to have a well-defined drug screen policy, and adhere to it consistently. Not having a defined policy, or not adhering to a defined policy, can open the employer up to legal exposure. There are local resources that an employer can access to better define their policy which include Cascade Health Solutions DIRECTIONS for Employee Assistance or Serenity Lane.

Another way that an employer can better arm their management team is by providing substance abuse recognition training classes. These on site trainings are presented by highly skilled professionals that can customize class content to meet the needs of your particular business.

The last thing is to be sure that you are using a collection site that has highly trained collectors that are well versed in the very specific procedures involved in drug screen collections and breathe alcohol testing. Cascade Health Solutions Occupational Health is staffed with Federally Certified Collectors and Federally Certified Breath Alcohol Technicians to assure that you are getting a complete and accurate collection for your employee without any gaps in the process that could bring the legitimacy of the test into question.

We all want to provide our employees with a safe and productive work environment to succeed in. By implementing and consistently executing a well thought out drug and alcohol policy for your company you are not only increasing the safety of your employees, but are also increasing the success of your business for years to come.