Employment Drug Screening Saves Money And Productivity

Employment drug screening-4                                                                                                        WC Blog 533
Drug Testing-5


Employment Drug Screening Saves Money And Productivity

     If using employment drug screening is not part of your hiring process you may want to reconsider that choice. Look at these statistics according to the DWI Resource Center (dwiresourcecenter.org):
• Workers who are heavy drinkers or illicit drug users are twice as likely as non-users to have been fired by an employer in the last year.
• Missed two or three days of work in the past month.
• Up to 40 percent of industrial fatalities can be linked to alcohol abuse and alcoholism
• Drug-abusing employees are 3.6 times more likely to be involved in workplace accidents and five times more likely to file a worker’s comp. claim
• Substance abusers are three time more likely to use medical benefits than other employees
• 80 percent of drug abusers steal from their workplaces to support their drug habits.
• Substance abuse is the third leading cause of workplace violence.
With those kinds of numbers it only makes sense to minimize the chance you are bringing a drug or alcohol abuser into your workplace as a team member. Bill Bregar, Founder and CEO of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. has introduced employment drug screening as part of the company’s efforts to make retail businesses more profitable. Those of us who have worked as Retail Loss Prevention Managers understand the baggage drug users bring with them to a job.

     Not everyone is aware of what employment drug screening is or what it involves. It can be two or three types that help employers keep their stores and businesses free of risks associated with drug and alcohol users.  The first is drug testing prior to hiring a job candidate. A manager decides on a person they want to hire for a position but prior to making a formal offer the candidate is sent to a lab for a sample to be collected. In most cases this is a urine or blood sample but there are some labs that will conduct hair testing. The lab tests for illegal drugs in the sample and the results of the tests are submitted to the employer. If a candidate fails the employer may decline to formally offer the job. The other drug testing takes place when an employee who is already working for a business has an accident on the job. In this case the employer requires the worker to go to a lab or a medical facility to be tested for drugs or alcohol that may be in their system. Being able to demonstrate that an accident was due to the employee being under the influence may reduce the employer’s responsibility and provide cause for firing that worker. The third drug testing is called a random drug screening and is not as prevalent as the other two. It is often used in sports, the military and law enforcement but there is nothing that would prevent a private employer from using it. The key is to have the employee sign an agreement of understanding when hired that they know they could be asked to submit to a test at random. As a side note all of this documentation and testing is easy to track and follow simply by using Loss Prevention System’s Job Applicant Management System.

     I know first-hand that employment drug screening works. I had a gentleman I wanted to hire onto my Loss Prevention team. He was a veteran and he had been injured while in the service. He interviewed well and we forwarded his information for a background check and sent him for drug testing. The result came back with a request from the lab asking the applicant for clarifying information. It turned out he was using a “prescription” drug from another state that permitted marijuana to be used in pain killers. Because the drug is not recognized nationally due to the inclusion of marijuana I could not (nor would I have chosen to) hire this applicant. 

     I have also been involved with an investigation in the workplace of an employee who was injured while working. He was fine when he came to work but we suspected he had been drinking on the job. When the accident took place we had the Human Resources Manager call for a cab to take the employee to the testing lab. The employee refused to go. He was fired for refusing to get a drug testing completed. 

     Don’t allow an employee’s use of drugs or alcohol impact your business. Whether it is time away from work, injuries or inappropriate behavior impaired workers can hurt your store. Use employment drug screening and prevent problems from starting in the first place. 
Employment Drug Screening is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.

     

If using employment drug screening is not part of your hiring process you may want to reconsider that choice. Look at these statistics according to the DWI Resource Center (dwiresourcecenter.org):

• Workers who are heavy drinkers or illicit drug users are twice as likely as non-users to have been fired by an employer in the last year.

• Missed two or three days of work in the past month.

• Up to 40 percent of industrial fatalities can be linked to alcohol abuse and alcoholism

• Drug-abusing employees are 3.6 times more likely to be involved in workplace accidents and five times more likely to file a worker’s comp. claim

• Substance abusers are three time more likely to use medical benefits than other employees

• 80 percent of drug abusers steal from their workplaces to support their drug habits.

• Substance abuse is the third leading cause of workplace violence.With those kinds of numbers it only makes sense to minimize the chance you are bringing a drug or alcohol abuser into your workplace as a team member. Bill Bregar, Founder and CEO of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. has introduced employment drug screening as part of the company’s efforts to make retail businesses more profitable. Those of us who have worked as Retail Loss Prevention Managers understand the baggage drug users bring with them to a job.
     

Not everyone is aware of what employment drug screening is or what it involves. It can be two or three types that help employers keep their stores and businesses free of risks associated with drug and alcohol users.  The first is drug testing prior to hiring a job candidate. A manager decides on a person they want to hire for a position but prior to making a formal offer the candidate is sent to a lab for a sample to be collected. In most cases this is a urine or blood sample but there are some labs that will conduct hair testing. The lab tests for illegal drugs in the sample and the results of the tests are submitted to the employer. If a candidate fails the employer may decline to formally offer the job. The other drug testing takes place when an employee who is already working for a business has an accident on the job. In this case the employer requires the worker to go to a lab or a medical facility to be tested for drugs or alcohol that may be in their system. Being able to demonstrate that an accident was due to the employee being under the influence may reduce the employer’s responsibility and provide cause for firing that worker. The third drug testing is called a random drug screening and is not as prevalent as the other two. It is often used in sports, the military and law enforcement but there is nothing that would prevent a private employer from using it. The key is to have the employee sign an agreement of understanding when hired that they know they could be asked to submit to a test at random. As a side note all of this documentation and testing is easy to track and follow simply by using Loss Prevention System’s Job Applicant Management System.
     

I know first-hand that employment drug screening works. I had a gentleman I wanted to hire onto my Loss Prevention team. He was a veteran and he had been injured while in the service. He interviewed well and we forwarded his information for a background check and sent him for drug testing. The result came back with a request from the lab asking the applicant for clarifying information. It turned out he was using a “prescription” drug from another state that permitted marijuana to be used in pain killers. Because the drug is not recognized nationally due to the inclusion of marijuana I could not (nor would I have chosen to) hire this applicant. 
     

I have also been involved with an investigation in the workplace of an employee who was injured while working. He was fine when he came to work but we suspected he had been drinking on the job. When the accident took place we had the Human Resources Manager call for a cab to take the employee to the testing lab. The employee refused to go. He was fired for refusing to get a drug testing completed. 
     

Don’t allow an employee’s use of drugs or alcohol impact your business. Whether it is time away from work, injuries or inappropriate behavior impaired workers can hurt your store. Use employment drug screening and prevent problems from starting in the first place. 

 

Employment Drug Screening is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.