Drug Abuse Prevention – Why Drug Testing:

Most employees; are not criminals, have good driving records, do not lie on their applications and do not engage in illicit drug use. Yet most companies run criminal, driving and past employer background checks on their applicants. Given this summary of the typical American workers, it is obvious that substance-abuse prevention must be viewed as a common concern of both employers and employees.

Statistics prove that drug and alcohol testing works! In tests of employees in DOT safety sensitive regulated industries, 3.5% tested positive for drugs. Testing in the general workforce reveals 5.2% tested positive for drugs, 50% higher than regulated industries. Samples submitted from the general workforce (tests at the request of a manager or supervisor, referred to as tests for reasonable suspicion), resulted in over 26% positive for drugs. Studies show and common sense confirms that those companies without a drug-testing program have a higher rate of drug users employed than a company with a drug-testing program.

Source Information quoted from studies and statistics:
U. S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC
Institute for a Drug Free Workplace, Washington, DC

Traditionally, larger employers have joined in drug-free workplace practices. And by itself supports the argument for the need of drug testing by all employers. This leads to the conclusion that employers that do not drug test fundamentally – are adversely selected against in terms of the employees that are left to hire. Substance abusers steer away from drug-free workplace companies and go to work for those businesses without a program and, in particular, where there is no drug testing involved – which may result in their detection.

When they do show up, substance abusers are 33 percent less productive and cost their employers $7,000 annually (Small Business Administration). Annual productivity losses from substance abuse amount to $640 for every American worker, regardless of whether they are substance abusers. (Institute for a Drug Free Workplace, Washington, D.C.)

Employers are paying for drug testing even if they do not test. And the cost of not testing is substantially higher than testing. Isn’t it about time you started testing?