What sort of drug testing should you do at your business if Issue 3 passes?

With voting only one week away, SACS Consulting wants to make sure that all business owners are ready in the event that Issue 3 passes. Our previous blog post on Issue 3 about how it will affect small business owners addressed drug testing as an important part keeping your workforce safe . Drug testing is a changing arena. There are times where you may be required to drug test your employees in order to keep your drug-free workplace status for insurance purposes. With a variety of options, which kind of test is best for your organization?

After doing some research, I have compiled a list of occasions when it is (usually) necessary for your organization to drug test employees, and what kind of drug test is best suited for that scenario.

What Are The Drug Testing Options?

According to ProCon.org, there are 4 distinct kinds of drug testing available for business owners: urine, blood, saliva, and hair. Each option has its own positives and negatives. As an employer, it is important to select the proper one in order to save time and money and most importantly, keep your valued employees and prevent hiring unproductive ones.

Urine Tests – This kind of test can detect drug use anywhere between a few days to several weeks after use.

Blood Tests – This kind of test can detect drug use anywhere between a few hours after use to 2 days. It also detects drugs in the system immediately after use. This kind of drug testing can be expensive.

Saliva Tests – This test can detect drug use a few hours after use up to 2 days. It also detects drug use in the system immediately after consumption.

Hair Tests – This kind of test detects drugs up to 90 days after use and takes 5-7 days after consumption before it can be detected.

Generally speaking, urine and saliva tests are the best options for employers because they offer quick results and are cost effective.

When do I need to administer drug tests?

DATIA.org gives a few reasons why an employer would need to drug test:

1. Pre-Employment – When you test before hiring a candidate, it would be wise to utilize urine tests. Because it allows you to see if your candidate has consumed marijuana up to several weeks ago.
2. Reasonable Suspicion – If you suspect that your employee is using because the way they are behaving, you should do a saliva drug test shortly after observation to obtain quick results.
3. Post-Incident – Although a urine test will give you a longer period of time (and more of a chance to prove that your employee used marijuana), an employee could easily argue in court that they didn’t use marijuana recently or they have a prescription for the use of marijuana. A saliva test will give you a narrower window and a stronger case in court.
4. Random – Any testing method will work in this scenario but saliva testing is probably the best indicator of recent use.
5. Periodic – Any testing method will work for periodic testing
6. Post-Rehab – This scenario warrants urine testing because you get the lengthier detection period.

SACS Consulting & Investigative Services, Inc. Can Help

Still have questions about drug policies and testing? Give SACS Consulting a call at 330-255-1101 Monday through Friday 9 am to 5 PM. SACS Consulting can evaluate your current policy and help you prepare for Issue 3.