Employer
Screening Solutions

Each year drug and alcohol abuse costs U.S. companies billions of dollars, which includes turnover rates for employees, unexcused absences, lower productivity, accidents, and increased workers’ compensation claims.  According to the National Safety Council, employees who abuse prescription drugs are two to five times more likely to take unexcused absences, be late for work, be injured or violent at work, file workers’ compensation claims, and quit or be fired within one year of employment.

Pre-employment and employment drug screening for the presence of prescription and illicit drugs helps employers maintain a safer, more productive workplace and:

Implementing a drug-testing program is the number one way to deter employees from using drugs before or during work hours.

A safer and healthier workplace
‍Instituting a comprehensive program is a sure way to enhance your organization’s overall job safety. Regular testing will ensure that employees are not under the influence when handling equipment, which will help reduce workplace-related injuries. It can also be used as a way to promote healthier lifestyles among the staff.

Increased productivity
‍When under the influence, employees are unable to perform at their best. An effective drug testing program will reduce instances of abuse among your employees and guard you against recruiting addicted workers, enabling you to have a quality workforce.

Reduced liability costs
‍Employees with drug and alcohol problems often have higher medical costs. Regular testing will enable you to reduce compensation claims effectively.

Stable workforce
‍One of the major of alcohol and drug abuse is absenteeism, which can be costly and in some industries, it can affect the reputation of a business. Eliminating the problem can leave you with a more consistent and effective staff.

Drug Free Workplace programs

Workplace drug-testing programs are designed to detect the presence of alcohol, illicit drugs, or certain prescription drugs. Drug testing is a prevention and deterrent method that is often part of a comprehensive drug-free workplace program.

Lab Express offers employer programs for drug and alcohol testing, drug-free workplace policy development and consulting services for small and large companies across the United States. Our employer drug testing programs are designed to be in compliance with Federal and State laws and to reduce the employer’s exposure to liability.

Our Employer Screening Program includes:

Ensure a safer, more productive workplace with pre-employment and employee drug screening.

1 WRITTEN POLICY
Before you can purchase drug screening services, your organization needs to have a written drug screening policy in place. Identify any federal and state laws with which you must comply.

2 NOTICE
Before running an Employment Drug Screening Program, you must inform the candidate or employee. The notification must stand alone and cannot be hidden within an employment application.

3 TESTING
Candidates and employees provide a urine sample at the testing facility. To lessen the risk of false-positives, we encourage the candidate to keep a record of any prescriptions of drugs they are currently taking.

4 MEDICAL REVIEW
Results are reviewed by a Medical Review Officer (MRO), who is specially trained to interpret test results for the highest accuracy. In the event of a positive test result, an MRO is responsible for taking all reasonable and necessary steps to verify the medical records provided by the candidate; if applicable, notifying the pharmacy to verify the legitimacy of the prescription; and, if necessary, contacting the candidate’s treating physician.

5 RESULTS
Both the employer and candidate can review the results within 2-5 days of the test. The candidate will only be notified if there is an alert (i.e., a positive result) on the test.

6 ACTION
If the results of a Drug Screening Test Result, prompts a decision to deny employment, the employer should defer to the company’s written drug policy about handling a candidate’s failed drug test.

Create & Follow A Company Drug Testing Policy
‍Drug testing must be administered fairly and consistently. Candidates seeking employment can be tested as a condition of employment, but all incoming employees must be tested and no one may be singled out.

‍Check Your State’s Law
Some states have imposed limitations on pre-employment drug testing. For example, California allows a drug test only after the applicant has received an offer of employment conditioned on passing the test. In other states, employers that drug test may be required to provide written notice or indicate in their job postings that testing is required.

Be Proactive About Compliance
‍Always consult with your legal counsel if you have questions about drug tests as part of your employment screening program.

Components of a Drug Free Workplace Program

Drug-free workplace programs can help employers create safe, cost-effective, and healthy workplaces. Most successful drug-free workplace programs have five key components:

Written Policy

Employee Education

Supervisor Training

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)

Drug Testing

Conducting Drug Tests

Federal agencies must use certified labs and follow other guidelines for drug testing.

Before beginning drug testing, ask the following questions and consider how they will affect your testing program. Be sure to address each question in your drug free workplace program.

Ensuring the accuracy of drug-testing results is critical. Using an HHS certified laboratory to test the specimens and a Medical Review Officer (MRO) to interpret the test results will help prevent inaccurate testing. MROs are licensed physicians who receive laboratory results and have knowledge of substance use disorders and federal drug-testing regulations. MROs are trained to interpret and evaluate test results together with the employee’s medical history and other relevant information.

Types of Drug Tests

Drug tests vary, depending on what types of drugs are being tested for and what types of specimens are being collected. Urine, hair, saliva (oral fluid), or sweat samples can be used as tested specimens. In federally regulated programs, only urine samples are collected.

Currently there are two main options for drug testing: Instant and Lab Based Drug Test.

Instant drug test
An instant drug test is exactly as its name implies—you get the results right away, at the point where it's collected, usually within a few minutes. It's what we call an immunoassay screening; its purpose is to detect any presence of that category of drugs in the specimen. The result is either negative (it's not present) or non-negative (it is present). An instant drug test can't officially give a "positive" result.

Lab based drug test
Lab-based drug tests are more accurate. We like to say they are more rigorous, more involved, and more defensible in a court of law, all of which are elements certain organizations must consider, particularly heavily regulated industries, like the DOT.

When we say lab-based testing is "more involved," here's what we mean:
The lab will conduct an initial screening to determine if the specimen is clean of any drugs or if it has some type of drug metabolite in it. If the answer is yes to the drug metabolite, then the lab runs it through a more advanced process to confirm what the drug is, it will specifically identify the chemical makeup and the quantity.

Another layer of rigor comes with the Medical Review Officer (MRO). The DOT defines an MRO as a person who is a licensed physician and who is responsible for receiving and reviewing laboratory results generated by an employer's drug testing program and evaluating medical explanations for certain drug test results.

Drug Tests are commonly used for five categories of drugs:

Reasons for Drug Testing

Random Tests

Pre-employment

Annual Physical Tests

For-cause and Reasonable Suspicion Tests

Post-accident Tests

Post-treatment Tests

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