Drug Screening Process Employers Interested in Reducing Expenses By: Rebekah J. Near President of Orca Information, Inc. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Quick way to save thousands of dollars a year - implement a drug screening program or maximize the one you already have. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near According to Department of Labor Drug and Alcohol Abuse Costs Employers 1. $81 billion dollars lost each year 2. Poor Productivity 3. Accidents 4. Theft 5. Soaring health care costs 6. Soaring workers compensation costs 7. Creates dangerous work environment Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near The Facts 1. 77% of Americas 12 million adult drug abusers are employed, or % of all full-time employees 3. They dont leave their problems at home 4. Question: How many do you employ? Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Bad for Business: Drugs in the Workplace Manufacturing and transportation industry - impaired judgment of drug users can cost lives. Dangers exist in white collar industries, too. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Drug users need to support their habits % of users sell drugs to coworkers, per National Household Survey on Drug Abuse 2. Some resort to theft, from employer and other employees 3. 18% of callers to the National Cocaine Helpline admit theyve stolen from coworkers 4. Absenteeism skyrockets 5. Productivity plummets 6. Team morale suffers Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Create and Implement Drug Prevention Program or Give Existing One a Tune-up. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Five Steps to a Drug-Free Work Environment Define Your Drug Prevention Policy. Information available from: 1. The U.S. Department of Labor Program (http://www.dol.gov) 2. Working Partners: Alcohol and Drug-Free Workplace Program (http://www.workingpartners.com) 3. Ask a reputable screening firm to help you craft a program. Note: The threat of a pre-employment drug test will immediately deter abusers from applying. 4. Create drug screening perimeters. 5. State and Federal laws that regulate drug screening- Make sure your plan is in compliance. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Three Testing Scenarios To Employ 1. Pre-Employment Testing All prospective hires should be subject to drug testing. 2. Random Testing Randomly select a percentage of employees for screening at regular intervals. Make sure selection is truly random; its discriminatory to do otherwise. 3. Post-incident Test Perform a drug test as quickly as possible following a work-related incident. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Dont underestimate the power of your screening program. When the Navy first implemented one in the 1980s, drug use quickly dropped from 28% to under 4%. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Choose a Testing Method Currently, there are three methods of testing: 1. Urine Testing - Most commonly utilized test, cost-effective and widely accepted. Disadvantages are: a. Employees must be sent to an offsite lab for testing b. Hundreds of drug advocates advise abstaining from drugs for three days before giving a urine sample a fact drug users know and use to beat the test. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Choose a Testing Method Currently, there are three methods of testing: 2. Oral Fluid Testing - Increasingly popular. Advantages are: a. Oral swab can be given on site at workplace and sent out for analysis b. Costs about the same as urine testing (about $35-$40 per test), and limited to the same 72-hour detection window. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Choose a Testing Method Currently, there are three methods of testing: 3. Hair Testing - The most effective method available Advantages are: a. Identifies drugs taken within a 90-day period. Few drug users can outsmart this one! b. At $65-$85 per test, it is admittedly more expensive. c. But what value while the other tests end up costing about $10 per testing day, hair testing amortizes to less than a dollar per covered day. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Choose a Testing Method Note: Whatever method you choose, use a government certified lab or agency to conduct the tests. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Additional Drug Use Recognition Methods 1. Provide Drug Use Recognition Training - Train your managers and supervisors to recognize the signs and symptoms of drug use. Its not as obvious as you might think did you know that crumpled soda cans are often used as cocaine pipes? a. Managers greatly appreciate this formal training. b. Training builds confidence and, backed by a written drug policy, allows management to act. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Additional Drug Use Recognition Methods 2. Raise Awareness Among Employees. a. Teach your employees the signs and dangers of drug abuse, too. b. Encourage them to report potential problems c. Give them procedures for reporting potential problems d. Post signs declaring your companys anti-drug policy. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Useful Signs Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Useful Signs Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Useful Signs Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Useful Signs Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Useful Signs Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Useful Signs Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Useful Signs Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Additional Drug Use Recognition Methods Note: Chances are, the only employees who object to drug screening are those with a reason. According to a recent Gallup poll, 96% of employees favor drug screening in at least some circumstances. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Drug Testing 101: Pass or Fail? Having a drug free workplace policy doesnt mean employees will not be drug users. The policy works similarly to not being able to use cell phones on airplanes. Everyone knows the rule, but there will still be one passenger who has to make a last hushed call or send a quick text. The same applies to having a drug free workplace policy. Employees may know the policy, but how does an organization ensure their employees stay drug free? Implementing a drug testing program in the workplace is one way to ensure this. Here are some basics you should know when considering a pre-employment or random drug testing program. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Drug Testing Procedures The most common procedure for conducting a drug test consists of having an applicant or employee submit his or her specimen at a collection site. 1. Collection sites are certified medical facilities authorized to collect a specimen, whether it be urine, saliva or hair, to test for traces of drugs of abuse in the body. 2. The specimen is sent to a lab for processing and confirmation of any drug usage. 3. If the result is negative, the applicant or employee has passed the drug test. 4. If the result is positive, or non-negative in industry terms, the specimen is sent to a Medical Review Officer (MRO) to verify the results of the drug test. 5. When the MRO completes the review, he or she will re-confirm or overturn results 6. If MRO overturns the results, applicant or employee has passed the drug test due to having a valid prescription for the substance 7. If the MRO re-confirms the results, the applicant or employee has failed the drug test. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Drug Testing Panels The term panels is synonymous to types of drugs being tested. 1. When employment drug testing was first used, the common practice was to run a 10 panel test This 10 panel test included the following drugs: a. Marijuana b. Cocaine c. Phencyclidine (PCP) d. Opiates e. Amphetamines f. Barbiturates g. Benzodiazepines h. Methadone i. Methaqualone j. Propoxyphene Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Drug Testing Panels 2. Since that time, many changes have shaped the way drug testing is conducted in the workplace including involvement with the Federal Government requiring federal employees and contractors to undergo a 5 panel drug test. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Drug Testing Panels 1. The 5 panel drug testing includes: a. Marijuana b. Cocaine c. Phencyclidine (PCP) d. Opiates e. Amphetamines Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Drug Testing Panels This drug testing program has been expanded to include all employees of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) 1. All persons designated in safety sensitive jobs that involve transportation or hazardous materials must be included in this program 2. Also in recent years, the manufacture of Methaqualone has stopped and Propoxyphene has been restricted to a small European market. 3. Therefore, it is common to hear the 9 panel drug test mentioned when setting up a drug testing reaching beyond the 5 panel test which includes: a. Barbiturates b. Benzodiazepines c. Methadone Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Drug Testing Panels Note: For the most part found in prescription drugs. Therefore positive results for any of these drugs are often overturned by the MRO. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near 5 vs. 7 Panel Drug Test Recently, the DOT has added two drugs to their required 5 panel drug test. This has created some confusion in the industry as to what this new test should be called. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near 5 vs. 7 Panel Drug Test 1. The DOT had previously required a 5 panel drug test that includes the following panels or classes of drugs: a. Opiates b. Amphetamines c. Cocaine d. Marijuana e. Phencyclidine (PCP) f. Newly added - Heroin (6-MAM) to the Opiate Panel. In the past, Heroin was included if Opiate levels were very high. g. Newly added - Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), also known as Ecstasy. This is an amphetamine and was added to the Amphetamine Panel. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near 5 vs. 7 Panel Drug Test Note: Although the test still encompasses 5 classes of drugs, the addition of the two extra drugs has some people calling this a 7 panel test. A true 7 panel test includes testing for Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Urine Testing When pre-employment drug testing began: 1. Urine testing was the only type available. 2. Detects drug use within the last hours. Note: Marijuana has a longer window of detection since THC collects in the fat cells as a fat soluble chemical, while most other drugs are water soluble. 3. Urine is currently the only approved testing method for any government programs. 4. Checks for the presence of the drug metabolite and/or the parent drug itself. Metabolites are specific substances the body produces to make ingested items useable to the body. 5. Urine can be processed either as a: a. lab based test or b. Point of Collection Test known as an Instant Test. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Saliva Testing Saliva testing is becoming more popular in employment testing as it is designed to be: 1. Collected by the employer and sent to a laboratory 2. It tests for the same drugs as urine 3. Employee or applicant does not have to be sent to a collection site to have the sample taken 4. This provides the employer with some control in making sure a sample is provided 5. Cuts down on the time an employee is taken away from work 6. The saliva will provide a slightly shorter drug use history than urine test 7. Detects the drug sooner than urine or hair test 8. Therefore, saliva test is the best practice in a post-accident or reasonable suspicion case. 9. Saliva testing can be either instant or lab based, although lab based is the most recommended option. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Hair Testing Hair testing is the final form of workplace drug testing. The difference between hair and the other two methods, urine and saliva testing, is the drug use history available: 1. Hair testing will give you approximately a 90 day history of drug use while urine and saliva will go back only about 3 days. This difference is most valuable in pre-employment drug testing 2. With urine or saliva, a few days of abstinence by an applicant can defeat the drug test 3. Since hair testing goes back 90 days, outsmarting this test becomes more difficult 4. Hair is also an excellent tool used in random drug testing programs a. The purpose of a random program is not to catch people, but rather to act as a deterrent. b. A non-drug user who is being tempted to try and illicit drug will know that he or she has to worry about losing his or her job for the next 3 months if the employer has a random program using hair testing. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Hair Testing Note: Currently, there is no instant hair testing product available. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near Prescription Drug Abuse In 2011, for the first time, more people in the U.S. died from prescription drug overdose than automobile accidents. The drugs most used in fatal overdoses are - Hydrocodone and Oxycodone: 1. People erroneously believe that because they came from a doctor, these drugs are safe. 2. Fact - prescription versions of drugs have a higher purity level and are more powerful than street drugs. 3. This actually makes prescriptions more dangerous than some drugs bought from a dealer off the streets. 4. One hidden danger of abusing the popular pain killer, Vicodin is it typically contains 5 milligrams of hydrocodone, but 325 milligrams of acetaminophen or Tylenol. 5. Acetaminophen can damage an individuals liver when taken in large quantities. 6. There is a plethora of data on those who become addicted to hydrocodone, but die from liver damage. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 On September 15, 1986, Ronald Reagan signed Executive Order as premise for the Drug-Free Workplace Act of The Federal government took leadership in recognizing drug usage affected American workplaces in Reagans opening line, stating: Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 Drug use is having serious adverse effects upon a significant proportion of the national work force and results in billions of dollars of lost productivity each year. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 Since then, the U.S. Department of Labor has required all federal contractors and grantees covered by the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 to provide a drug- free workplace by taking the following steps: Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near The Drug-Free Workplace Act of Publish and give a policy statement to all covered employees informing them that the: a. Unlawful manufacture b. Distribution c. Dispensation d. Possession e. Use of a controlled substance is prohibited in the covered workplace, and specifying the actions that will be taken against employees who violate the policy. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near The Drug-Free Workplace Act of Establish a drug-free awareness program to make employees aware of: a. The dangers of drug abuse in the workplace b. The policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace c. Any available drug counseling, rehabilitation and Employee Assistance Program d. The penalties that may be imposed upon employees for drug- abuse violations Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near The Drug-Free Workplace Act of Notify employees that as condition of employment on a Federal contract or grant, the employee must: a. Abide by the terms of the policy statement b. Notify the employer, within five calendar days, if he or she is ` convicted of a criminal drug violation in the workplace. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near The Drug-Free Workplace Act of Notify the contracting agency within 10 days after receiving notice that a covered employee has been convicted of a criminal drug violation in the workplace 5. Impose a penalty on or require satisfactory participation in a drug- abuse assistance or rehabilitation program by any employee who is convicted of a reportable workplace drug conviction. 6. Make an ongoing, good faith effort to maintain a drug-free workplace by meeting the requirement of the Act. Drug Screening Process Presented by Rebekah Near