The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports an average of 1 in 7 of all U. S. workers are affected by drug or alcohol dependency. In cities actively promoting drug-free workplaces, as many as 1 out of 4 applicants to companies not presently drug testing abuse drugs or alcohol in the workplace. The resulting cost to taxpayers and employers is estimated at over $100 billion annually! Most employers don't become drug-free workplaces because they believe they currently have an employee drug problem. They do so to maintain the high quality and productivity of their current workforce and assure long-term competitiveness.

For one thing, your personal safety is at risk. Statistics show drug and alcohol impaired workers are involved in 3.6 times more accidents than their coworkers and often, unimpaired coworkers or other innocent victims are also injured or killed. For another thing, you and your coworkers are directly subsidizing drug and/or alcohol abusers with your added workload and even job security if you ignore the problem. According to SAMHSA studies, in comparison with other workers, drug or alcohol impaired abusers:

• are 25% less productive on drugs, 35% on alcohol
• are absent from the job up to 16 times more often with 2.5 times more absences of 8 or more days
• file 5 times more workers’ compensation claims
• use 3 times more sick benefits
• steal 4 times more often from employers and coworkers

Who do you think pays these costs?
You do...because lost productivity and higher costs inevitably translate into lower profits out of which all employee wages and benefits must be paid. Also, if competitively priced products and/or services cannot be provided because costs are inflated by drug and alcohol related expenses, the company’s survival and your job could be at stake.

Here comes a surprise! The object of drug testing is NOT to catch people! Testing, combined with appropriately severe disciplinary policies, is the most effective deterrent to continuing workplace abuse because the possibility of being caught and being denied or losing a job are powerful incentives to quit. Employers would much prefer to stop abuse than have to fire an employee. After all, the employee's replacement could have the same or worse problems and it costs money to hire and train a new employee. This is why your employer's Drug-Free Workplace Program places equal emphasis on employee education, supervisory training, and access to either a confidential, professionally staffed, Employee Assistance Program or has developed an Employee Assistance Plan for employees needing help to quit.

Participating employers may only use specified laboratories using chain-of-custody documentation and collection protocols which impose strict standards of accuracy and care from the point of collection through lab analysis and interpretation and reporting of results. This assures that test specimens are correctly identified, accurately analyzed and reported by the lab.

Upon arrival at the testing site, a trained collector designated by the laboratory and the employer will request positive identification. A multi-part chain-of-custody form will then be initiated which will identify your specimen by a unique number and record the names of anyone handling the sample. Carried articles (except money and valuables), including handbags, brief cases, jackets, hats, etc. must be left outside the rest room. Clothing pocket contents may also be inspected by the collector and any possible adulterants removed. You will then be asked to wash and dry your hands. Unless chemically neutral, all soap and other cleansers must be removed. Access to water will also be denied by bluing toilet bowl water and remotely turning off or taping water sources. Alternatively, a collector may stand outside the privacy stall. You will then be asked to provide a urine sample into a sterile specimen collection container(s). You will not be witnessed unless a same gender collector has reasonable suspicion, corroborated by a higher level supervisor, that you may have attempted to substitute, dilute, or adulterate a previous specimen. After collection, you will be asked to watch while the collector records temperature and other observations, such as unusual odor or color, on the form. The specimen will then be sealed by a special security tape that cannot be removed without tearing it. This prevents any unauthorized persons from later removing the tape, tampering with the specimen, and replacing the tape. The unique specimen number will also be affixed. You will then be asked to initial the specimen to identify it as yours. Finally, you will be asked to verify that the chain-of-custody forms and specimen have been properly identified and that the specimen was sealed in your presence for transfer to the testing laboratory.

YES and NO. All urine specimens undergo a chemical screening test designed to detect even small traces of illegal substances. However, because of the test's very high sensitivity, substances chemically resembling illegal drugs could be misidentified if screening tests alone were permitted.

For this reason, your employer requires that all positive initial screening test specimens be confirmed by a virtually 100% accurate method called Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). Positive specimens must also be retained by the lab as long as a legal challenge is in process to permit reanalysis of positive specimens, if requested.

YES. This is why your employer will not be notified of a positive lab result until a Medical Review Officer (MRO) has sought prescription information from you which could account for a positive lab result. The verification process may include MRO contact with health care providers, physicians, or pharmacies you've identified to corroborate legal prescription use.

Your employer's MROs are licensed physicians with many years experience reviewing thousands of Federal and State drug test results and specially trained to identify and verify all possible legally prescribed medications or other substances which could react as positive for many drugs of abuse. They are also nationally certified by the American Association of Medical Review Officers, and qualified under Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence as experts. If a legitimate reason for a positive lab test finding is verified by the MRO, the final result will be reported to your employer as negative (no drugs present).

With your advance consent (Federally required), the MRO may ask your employer to temporarily assign you to less safety-sensitive duties, if it is felt that your use of certain legally prescribed medications could pose a danger to yourself, your coworkers, or the general public.