Drug and Alcohol Testing For a Safe and Productive Workplace

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Drug and Alcohol Testing For a Safe and Productive Workplace The truth is about seventy percent of all drug and alcohol abusers hold a job. Studies show how prevalent substance abuse is in the workplace and how costly the consequences of this are. Drunk and drug-affected employees cause forty percent of all on the job injuries and cost employers millions a year in lost time, health care and workers' compensation costs. That could be as much as several thausand per each drunk and drug-affected worker yearly! Drug and Alcohol Testing in the workplace is becoming more commonplace, in some safetyconscious industries. Besides those industries which are heavily regulated by the government, such as transport, nuclear energy or military contracting, Drug and Alcohol Testing all employees for drug use is a requirement for those businesses that get federal money. Small businesses are also recognising the importance of a drug-free workplace: not only as a hedge against increasing costs - because of the decreased productivity and higher workers' compensation insurance premiums - but as a mean to provide safety of their employees and customers and avoid potential negligence lawsuits. Construction workers, sales personnel, food preparation staff, bartenders, waiters, labourers and machine operators are among those workers who have the highest rates of forbidden drug use.

Employers are widening the scope of Drug and Alcohol Testing in London, beginning with preemployment testing and then moving on to random or annual testing, post-incident and reasonable suspicion testing. Pre-employment drug testing is done as part of the hiring method, after a job offer has been made, but before the applicant is added to the payroll. Reasonable suspicion testing is done only if the employer has a valid reason to request it, such as when the


appearance or behaviour of a worker indicates drug and alcohol abuse. Post-incident testing is done after an incident if there are facts proposing that a worker responsible for the accident was under the influence. There are several types of tests used to check for drugs and alcohol, but the most common ones include screening of urine. Basic testing usually screens for cannabinoids, amphetamines, cocaine, opiates and phencyclidine (PCP). Extended testing screens for ethanol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, hallucinogens and inhalants. The most often detected prohibited drug in workplace drug testing is cannabis. Employers cannot force employees to take and pass a drug check, but they can in turn refuse to hire, terminate employment or demote a worker, as well as deny unemployment, disabilityand workers' compensation benefits. About Company: First Intervention Training Ltd (FIT) offers Drug and Alcohol Testing in London & Essex. Call FIT on: 01375 676779. For More Details Please Visit: http://www.firstinterventiontraining.com/ Follow On: Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest


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