The creation and maintenance of a compliant drug and alcohol testing policy are essential for employers hoping to maintain a safe and productive workplace in addition to protecting themselves against costly litigation.
What is pre-employment drug testing?
Companies perform pre-employment drug tests to determine if a prospective hire uses illicit substances or abuses prescription medication. Most workplaces are affected by substance abuse to some degree (either directly or indirectly). Conducting pre-employment drug tests can help you make better hiring decisions.
Performing a pre-employment drug test can help employers identify drug users before they hire them. If employees are found to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, it could harm the company's reputation. Drug tests can also help reduce absenteeism and turnover, prevent on-the-job drug use, and lower workers' compensation rates.
Benefits of pre-employment drug testing:
- Ensures a safe and compliant workplace.
- Avoid costs associated with workplace accidents and decreased productivity.
What is pre-employment drug testing important?
The wrong type of employee could create liability issues for employers. Many companies are also looking to maintain safe workplaces by hiring a productive and efficient workforce. Drug tests can help them in that effort.
Many driving-related jobs also require drug tests either pre-hire or while on the job to help reduce the risk of accidents and injuries. Employees under the influence of drugs or alcohol could cause injuries, accidents, and other problems.
If employees handle money, drug testing is an excellent way to help decide whether to hire. Theft in the workplace can be caused by drug addiction, so employers must watch out for fraud, embezzlement, and other types of financial crime.
What are the most common pre-employment drug tests?
The most common drug testing methods are urine tests, hair testing, and saliva testing.
Lab-based Urine Testing
Urine testing is the most common testing method. It can help detect use typically in the previous one to three days. The results show if drug metabolites are present in an individual's urine.
How is it conducted?
The donor provides a urine sample collection at a collection site. Once provided, it is properly labeled and sent off to be tested. Once results are complete they are sent to the Medical Review Officer (MRO) to review (if applicable).
Benefits of urine testing
- #1 testing method, legal in every state, required by DOT.
- Federal lab-based urine testing guidelines for 30+ years.
- Considered the gold standard.
- Configurable panel.
- Availability.
- Permitted for DOT.
- Procedures have withstood legal challenges.
Orange Tree Screening offers instant and lab urine testing depending on what the client needs.
Hair Testing
Hair testing has a broader detection window than urine testing. Using hair testing means individuals may still test positive if they used drugs even if they abstained for several days before being tested. Unlike urine drug tests, which may only detect drug use within the past two to three days, hair tests can detect drugs for up to 90 days. Compared with urine testing, hair testing provides nearly twice the number of positives due to its longer detection window.
How is it conducted?
A hair sample is taken, typically from the scalp, at a collection site and sent to a laboratory to be tested. Once results are complete they are sent to the Medical Review Officer (MRO) to review (if applicable).
Benefits of Hair Testing
- The window of detection, ADA, and Marijuana
- High certainty of promptly detecting moderate or high use
- Non-disruptive in the workplace
- Unannounced testing is unnecessary
Saliva Test (Oral Fluid)
A saliva test, also known as an oral fluid test, collects a sample of saliva from inside the donor's mouth. Drugs are usually detectable in an oral fluid sample within minutes after usage and remain detectable for up to 24 hours after use, making oral fluid testing ideal for detecting recent use.
How is it conducted?
For a Saliva (Oral Fluid) test, a tester will swab the mouth to collect saliva. Oral fluid collections, do not require the use of an off-site collection facility. An on-site oral fluid collection can be conducted by a trained employee.
Benefits of Hair Testing
- Collect anytime, anywhere.
- Donor and collector are in proximity with one another during the entire collection process, making every collection fully observed.
- Legally defensible.
- Recent use detection.
- Eliminates shy bladder issues.
- Reduced time away from work for current employees.
Breath Alcohol Test
Breath Alcohol tests will detect the amount of alcohol in a person's blood when they are tested. Employers often use them to see if someone is intoxicated on the job. The person taking the test will blow into a device. The device will immediately give the blood alcohol concentration (BAC), just as it does for law enforcement officers making a traffic stop.
Companies that the US Department of Transportation regulates will often use the BAT tests.
What do drug tests screen for?
This depends on the drug testing panel ordered. Each panel tests for a specific set of drugs and their metabolites. While a 5-panel drug test is the most common, employers can also choose from 7, 9, or 10- panel drug tests.
Orange Tree can provide expanded and custom panels to best meet your drug testing needs.
5-Panel Drug Test
- Amphetamine
- Cocaine
- Opiates
- PCP (Phencyclidine-Angel Dust)
- THC (Marijuana)
6-Panel Drug Test
- Amphetamine
- Cocaine
- Opiates
- PCP (Phencyclidine-Angel Dust)
- THC (Marijuana)
- Methamphetamines
7-Panel Drug Test
- Amphetamine
- Cocaine
- Opiates
- PCP (Phencyclidine-Angel Dust)
- THC (Marijuana)
- Barbiturates
- Benzodiazepines
9-Panel Drug Test
- Amphetamine
- Cocaine
- Opiates
- PCP (Phencyclidine-Angel Dust)
- THC (Marijuana)
- Barbiturates
- Benzodiazepines
- Methadone
- Propoxyphene
10-Panel Drug Test
- Amphetamine
- Cocaine
- Opiates
- PCP (Phencyclidine-Angel Dust)
- THC (Marijuana)
- Barbiturates
- Benzodiazepines
- Methadone
- Propoxyphene
- Methaqualone
How Orange Tree can help
Orange Tree offers a full suite of drug testing solutions. We can help you consider and assess how these different solutions align with your business goals and policy.
We provide a single-order background and drug testing experience for you and your candidates. The process begins with a text and allows the candidate to schedule a testing location convenient for them. Our mobile-friendly CandidateConnect® platform also reduces turnaround time by a day.
Have questions about your background screening or drug testing program?
Schedule a free consultation to get answers directly from Orange Tree's subject matter experts.
