Conducting Drug Tests On Employees - A Basic Guidline For Testing Employees
Author: Abhishek Agarwal
This is a mini handbook on how to perform drug tests on employees. The information presented in this handbook will be of great help to companies who wish to organize drug-screening programs for its workforce and, in some cases, also for its prospective employees.
Drug abuse among employees can cost companies a lot in terms of time and money because drug abusers can absent themselves often and engage in illegal activities such as theft.
Several companies now demand that their employees submit to a drug test because this has been found to be a cost-effective method of managing employees. By spending only 50-70 dollars on a single drug test, companies might avoid having to spend several hundreds of dollars on time lost, accidents, health care, and compensation.
First, you will first learn about the method of performing a drug test. There are two ways to do a drug test or a drug examination.
Laboratory Test
Employees can be requested to go to a certified laboratory to get their urine tested. The results will be available within a day. If the results of the urine test is positive, the urine is further analysed to find out the particular types of drugs that were used.
Drug Test Kits
Companies can purchase one of the instant drug test kits that are available in stores and perform a drug test in the office itself. Instant drug test kits are inexpensive, but they are just as reliable as laboratory tests. In case a test turns out to be positive, the employees should be asked to go to the laboratory to get a detailed analysis of their urine.
Types of Drugs
Now that you know how to conduct a drug test on a prospective employee, it is time to know the different types of drugs you are have to test for. Usually, employers test their employees for usage of five commonly available drugs such as amphetamines and methamphetamine, PCP, marijuana or THC, opiates such as codeine and morphine, and cocaine.
Drug Retention
The time taken by a person to retain a particular drug within his or her system varies from individual to individual. Generally, drugs stay in a person's system from two to four days. Some drugs such as marijuana and PCP can remain in the system for around 14 days. Sedatives such as valium can remain in the system for about a month.
You could also try an expensive drug testing method, such as hair testing, to detect drugs that can remain in the system for around three months. Some companies also perform ten-panel drug testing, which could include testing for legal prescription drugs such a valium. Companies can also test a prospective employee for alcohol.
Employee Methods to Escape Drug Testing
Employees who are into drugs try several methods to escape a drug test. They could even attempt to manipulate their urine samples.
Companies can prevent such cases by requiring employees to provide urine samples within a certain time period. This will deter employees who are attempting methods to make the drugs leave their systems. Some of the drug tests might appear negative, but, at the same time, reveal suspicious abnormalities that, on a further test, would uncover traces of drug abuse.
Drug abuse among employees can also lead to a decrease in productivity and an increase in violence. Conducting drug tests of employees every now and then is the only, and the best way, to avoid such problems at the workplace.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/conducting-drug-tests-on-employees-a-basic-guidline-for-testing-employees-703052.html
About the Author
Abhishek is a Career Counselor and he has got some great Career Planning Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 71 Pages Ebook, "Career Planning Made Easy!" from his website http://www.Career-Guru.com/769/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.
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can valium,flexerial, or norco give a false postive drug test?
my husband works for a coal mine company, and he had to do a random drug test on 2-15-08, and he was a 3 different presciptions at that time.. he started his meds on 2-10-08, and informed his employer on that night, of what he was taking.. he last took a norco on 2-14-08 , And on friday nite he was drug tested and came back with opiates in his sliva.. would either of thoose 3 meds-valium,norco,or flexerial give out a false postive?
Yeah — Norco will cause him to test positive for opiates. It’s not a false-positive… because he actually IS taking opiates — but, it’ll be ok, because they’re prescribed opiates.
Please help me convert 7 mg of diazepam to ng? How much time to pass drug screen needed (cutoff is 300ng)?
Hypothetically speaking, I took 7-8mg of Valium on a Thursady night and have a drugscreen the following Tuesday afternoon. Almost 6 days from time of dose to time of test. Test is a urine analysis “dipstick” with a benzo cutoff at 300ng/mL. Will it still be prevalent or undetectable? Is there a formula?
Not really. There are so many variables that knowing average clearance and such is not really going to help. That far out, you’ll likely be OK, but nothing’s certain.
I took 5 mg of valium for the first time ever, I have a pre-employment drug test in three days will i pass?
It says it only stays in urine for 2-3 days, I would just like some assurance, I hvae never taken this before so im not a chronic user.
Pre-employment drug tests don’t test for benzodiazepines, like Valium. They just do the 5-panel: opiates, amphetamines, pot, MDMA, and cocaine. Unless you are applying to be doctor, a cop, or you’re on probation getting drug tests, you don’t have anything to worry about. Its more expensive to test for more drugs, and companies are too cheap to do it-they just do the old drug test for show, in my opinion, to cover all their bases!
If you take one rx pill one time, will it still show up on a hair drug test?
so, my cousin his getting a job and the company requires a hair drug test. He recently was in the ER for back pain and was given morphine, and Valium…. and well anyway, he has no prob showing that that was legit, however, before he finally went to the ER, some one he know gave him a Soma and he took it. so it was one Soma and it was the first and only time that he has ever took Soma. now he is nervous because he has no rx for that. He asked me cause i use to work in a pharmacy, but i know nothing about those kinds of test or how long it stays or if that small amount will show up on a hair test… so if anyone has had a similar situation or can give me some in site maybe i can help my cousin.. He has never used marijuana or cocaine or anything like that, at least that’s what he has told me.
i have a drug test comeing up in a week and i had one 10mg valium do you think i will pass?
This is the first time in 2 months that iv taken one