"Of the 17.2 million illicit drug users aged 18 or older in 2005, 12.9 million (74.8 percent) were employed either full or part time," according to a survey done by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 2005. The survey also showed that 10-20% of work-related deaths are confirmed to have caused due to drug or alcohol. A drug abuser is also responsible for 40% of all industrial workplace deaths.
As an employer, it is your responsibility to provide your employees with a secure working environment. Pre-employment drug screening is one of the most effective strategy to ensure that your workforce is drug-free.
A drug test examines urine, blood, saliva, hair, or perspiration to determine the presence of one or more illicit or prescribed substances. Testing your employees for drugs is important not only because it damages many elements of the society but also can be very harmful for your workplace. It can not only compromise a company's productivity and revenue, but can also put employees in danger or, in some cases, could result in death. However, thanks to advances in technology, employers can now test for illicit drug usage and can implement initiatives to achieve drug-free workplaces. These aspects can clearly manifest the vitality of drug testing.
- Efficiency
- Less Productivity leading to Less Profit
- Safety
- Turnover
- Medical expenses
Effect of substances may make it hard for the employee to stay focused on their work and may drift their attention to unrelated issues. Employers can utilize drug testing to identify employees whose illicit drug usage is not letting them work in their complete capacity in order to cut shortcomings and increase operational efficiency.
Drug addiction can badly affect productivity resulting in poor attendance and constant delays in work. The decreasing productivity and inconsistent work result in lower income and loss of profit. Moreover, drug usage also contributes to up to 40% of staff theft putting a further dent in revenues of the company.
Drug usage can weaken judgement and can put safety at danger. This is very alarming especially in professions like construction, where consuming drugs or alcohol at work can result in injury or even death. Employee drug abuse is responsible for up to 50% of all on-the-job accidents, so this is not a minor issue. Drug testing in this case can help take preventive measure before it is too late. Moreover, drug testing may result in improving the quality of life of employees and their families.
Drug testing prior recruitment can be an excellent technique to identify candidates who are a good fit for your company's objectives and criteria. Furthermore, it minimizes the possibility of having to terminate a new employee in the future, allowing you to keep great employees and lower your staff turnover rate.
Substance abuse can skyrocket a person's medical expenses. In reality, drug usage costs businesses an estimated $140 billion per year. By minimising on-the-job accidents and drug-related diseases, workplace drug testing assists firms to lower their health insurance rates and health costs. It's a definitely advantageous for both employees and businesses, as it improves employee health while lowering expenditures.
If you’re and employer seeking to make the move in securing your workplace through employee drug screening, contact De RISC Group. We’ll provide you with top quality assistance needed to combat substance abuse in workplace.
