As drug test requirements are changing and employers are testing less often for marijuana, employees and candidates are researching basic information about when employers drug test, drug testing policies, and what types of drug tests they may do.
Here is your one-stop shop for information regarding drug and alcohol testing in the workplace.
Testing Policies
Employers may decide to a drug test as a part of the hiring process to decide ahead of time whether a candidate will be a good addition to the company, especially if they are hiring for a job that involves commercial driving. They may also test employees under certain circumstances, such as a workplace accident or a driving accident to ensure the company is not liable for allowing employees to work under the influence. Additionally, depending on the laws, they may do regular drug testing or random drug testing, so it is important to review the drug testing policies of your place of employment before deciding to become an employee.
Blood and Urine Drug and Alcohol Tests
Blood and urine drug tests are used when employees or candidates are being screened for illegal drugs, such as amphetamines, barbiturates, phencyclidine (PCP), cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamines, opiates, nicotine, and alcohol. Although marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine are not illegal substances, they may still show up on a drug test, especially if an employer is screening for them due to a company policy restricting the uses of those drugs. A blood test measures the amount of alcohol or drugs in the blood when the blood is drawn, while a urine test shows the presence of drug residues that remain in the system after the drug effects have worn off.
Breath Alcohol Tests
Breath alcohol tests are limited almost exclusively to situations when an employee is harmed either on-site or while driving on the job. This test is administered by using a breathalyzer, a device that measures the amount of alcohol in the air you breathe out into the device. It cannot test for how much alcohol has been consumed after the event, so it must be administered at the time of the accident to accurately measure the current levels of impairment and intoxication.
Hair Follicle and Oral Fluids Drug Tests
A hair follicle drug test provides a 90-day window of drug use, making it one of the employers’ most rigorous drug tests. Although it does not screen for alcohol, it can show drug use from up to 90 days before the test is taken. On the other hand, an oral fluids drug test is the least invasive test since it only involves a mouth swab inside the employee’s mouth. It is used to show the use of drugs during the previous few hours to two days and is one of the most common drug tests used in the workplace.
ClearStar and Drug Testing
When it comes to making sure your employees are FMCSA/DOT-compliant, ClearStar uses all our resources to check on them. During pre-employment, ClearStar has full DOT support—including access to the Clearinghouse database—and a web-based management system that assists with carrying out a potential employee’s background check. With our resources, not only can we perform extensive background checks on potential employees, but we can also alert an employer of any past DOT violations, DUIs, and drug/alcohol test results.
We have the largest drug test collection site network with 9,000+ locations nationally and offer extensive drug tests, vaccinations, titers, physicals, and other services. We work with Abbott, LabCorp, and Quest to provide the best drug testing services and a mobile wallet pass with built-in reminders for LabCorp and Quest. For the peace of mind of employers, we offer real-time collection status updates for drug tests to ensure they know exactly what the status is on a drug test.
To place an order for a COVID-19 test or a drug test, contact the ClearStar Medical Information Services office at 321.821.3383 or [email protected]. To ask about background checks and other medical screening services, call +1.888.982.4648.
