John Smart asked:


Observing the ever increasing incidents of drug abusing and the deteriorations of the quality of the work output drug testing has been made mandatory at many corporations so that they can control or prevent any harmful effect that may occur to the employees and also to the other employees with strong hand thus keeping the environment safe and healthy.

Various types of drug test are followed according to the various levels and circumstances. To mention the various levels and circumstances of corporate drug testing they are pre-employment drug testing, post accident drug testing, random drug testing, return to duty/ follow-up testing, request to retest and reasonable suspicion test. All of which aims at keeping the corporate environment healthy.

1. Pre-Employment Drug Test- It is the most common type of drug test followed by almost all the corporations and it is followed at the time of recruitment to detect the whether the candidate consumes drugs like marijuana, cocaine, PCP, opiates and amphetamines.

2. Post Accident Drug Test- Post drug testing is conducted on any employee who meets with an accident during the job timings. If the employee is found to take drug then the company is not duty-bound to pay for the employee or it is neither compelled to any sort of cases which may affect the company’s concern. It is wrong to interpret post accident drug test to fire the employee but it aims at protecting the company from the legal responsibility in the event that the individual is the victim of drug that caused the accident.

3. Random drug test- This type of drug test act as a deterrent on the employees as they will think several times before taking drugs as these tests are conducted without any prior notice.
4. Return to duty/ Follow-up test- This test gives a second chance to any employee who could not pass the drug test. The employee is allowed to once again undergo the drug test within forty-five days from the last test. The person should get a clearance from the EAP to rejoin the job. It does not end here; the person will have to undergo unannounced and periodical drug testing for six times even in the following year.

5. Request to retest-‘Retest’ as the name suggest is to sit or undergo for the test if there is any doubt with the result of the already done test. If an employee who has undergone the drug test has any kind of doubt with the result then he/she has the right to apply for retest to confirm the result and it can be done only after seventy-two hours after the previous test is been done.

6. Reasonable Suspicion Test- If any of the employee’s behavior is found to be suspicious then the employers has the right to conduct both the drug test and alcohol test. And if the employee is identified for the reasonable suspects then he is liable to get suspended but when the results for the drug test are negative then he/she will be again taken in the job and will also be paid for the length of period he has been prevented to work.

All the above mentioned drug test solely aims at improving the working environment but it is also true that person identified to be using drug get a stain in their career. Again it is also true that drug test act as a prevention on the employees as they will think several times before taking drugs so that they are not fired as no wants to lose their job.



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