What are the steps involved in employee drug screening?
Employee drug screening is becoming complicated in the face of new laws. Building and maintaining an operational drug testing program at the workplace is important. It helps an organization improve the quality of its workforce and their safety, cut down on employee health care costs, and raise productivity.
Companies like A Good Employee offer comprehensive drug testing in compliance with a company’s screening policy and government regulations. Screening can be done before employing a candidate as well as after employment to check on any drug abuse.
How it works:
- A Good Employee provides a form to employers to give to their applicants for a visit to a verified local lab. This form can be customized upon request.
- The applicant does not need to make an appointment, they just walk-in during the laboratory hours to perform the test.
- Then the specimen is analyzed.
- If found normal, the results will come back in 24-48 hours. If the results come out positive or abnormal in any way it is sent to a medical review officer and will need to be retested.
- Positive or negative results are reported on the drug test, which is sent to the employer as a PDF.
Get a Drug Screening Policy in place
A secure policy will set the pace for organizational compliance and employees will be clear about the procedures. The policy must adhere to all applicable state and federal stipulations and should be vetted by an employment attorney.
Do not stop at pre-employment screening
To enable a drug-free environment it may be a good idea to incorporate random drug tests. You can pick out individuals randomly for the drug tests and do the test within the shortest possible time after notifying the employee. This will minimize the opportunity for the test to be falsified.
Match Testing Method to Business Need
Urine, saliva, and hair samples are among the various methods used to determine drug usage. The one to go for will depend on an organization’s specific need. Different parameters should be considered such as cost, on site or off site testing, and the length of the drug detection window. Hair testing offers up to 90 days of visibility into the candidate’s drug history, and urine or saliva provides a one-week window of detection. While the former works well when considering pre-employment screening options, the latter is suitable for situations requiring same-day or ongoing testing. Urinalysis is the most common type of employee drug screening.
Industry or job function impacts drug testing
If the job position involves driving or operating machinery, it may be necessary to conduct a drug test. The healthcare industry also commonly uses these tests because they have access to prescription medication.
Document the Process
It is important to document the entire drug testing process right from notification to the results analysis. Your HR Information System can create an automated digital audit trail for every step in the drug screening process which will reinforce the company’s stance on transparency with regard to screening employees for drug usage.
Work hand-in-hand with your insurance provider
Your insurance provider may offer you rebates based on our organization’s drug testing policies, as an incentive for conducting drug testing according to State guidelines.
Use an expert like A Good Employee
Make sure you use a company like A Good Employee that will implement your drug testing policy in compliance with government regulations.