The Importance of a Drug Free Workplace and Creating a Drug Testing Policy for your Business

Drug abuse in the workplace is a serious problem				companies provide easy-to-use drug test kits,
that affects the status and output of American				that can be administered by just about anyone
businesses. $100 billion a year is lost in revenues				and make results available within a few minutes'
and production or spent on insurance claims, paid				time.
sick leave, theft and accidents due to drug use.				Drug screening in the workplace requires a
However, drug testing in the workplace can				well-written policy that informs employees as well
dramatically lower this number, by preventing the				as managerial workers of how drug testing will
hire of drug abusers, eliminating employees who				take place and what is expected of them.
choose to indulge in the use of illicit drugs and				There are several different ways to conduct
rehabilitating those employees with an addiction.				workplace drug testing. These methods include
Drug testing in the workplace not only helps				random drug testing, reasonable suspicion drug
businesses thrive, but it also helps individuals find				testing, annual drug testing and after treatment
the help they need before causing injury to				for a previous bout with drug use. Each of these
themselves or fellow employees.				methods of detecting drug abuse in the
Opting Not to Enforce Workplace Drug Testing				workplace provide employers with the peace of
Ruling out drug testing is not necessarily a great				mind they need to conduct business as usual,
idea. Drug users are three times more likely to call				without having to worry about potential drug
in sick from their jobs, causing a decrease in				abuse and its costs and effects to the company's
production. What is truly alarming, however, is				success and reputation.
that drug using employees are involved in nearly				What Kinds of Drug Tests Are Available
four times as many accidents on the jobsite than				There are many different types of drug testing
non-drug abusers. This clearly shows the direct link				kits available for use in the work place. Most
between using drugs and one's job performance				commonly used are urine drug tests, saliva drug
as well as the costs such behavior will incur on the				tests and hair drug tests. Each of these have
employer or business owner. The importance of				their own pros and cons for drug testing in the
drug prevention in the workplace is immense, and				workplace, but can all successfully identify drug
can be best achieved through the use of drug				abusers in a relatively short period of time. While
testing.				hair drug testing need to be sent to the lab for
How to Perform Drug Testing in the Workplace				results, they often provide the most accurate of
In order to create a drug free workplace, many				results as compared to other methods of drug
employers hire contracted laboratories to conduct				testing. However, urine testing is considered the
drug testing on their employees. However, many				staple in work place drug testing because it is
business owners are now opting to create				easy to administer and the results can be read
corporate accounts with drug test retailers. These				and photocopied in a matter of minutes.