The Controversy
Within the last few years, drug testing has become more of a
controversy within different industries than it ever has before. In some
businesses, it has become more prominent and necessary, and in others, a more
“care free” approach is being taken. The human resource component of any
business is responsible for the initiation, completion and handling of the results
of a drug test for selected employees. The testing is typically done in an
outside laboratory with trained professionals.
The American Council on Drug Education states that compared
to their coworkers, substance abusers are less productive on the job by 33%. On
the contrary, the United States will face a shortage of 111,000 truck drivers
by 2014, according to The American Trucking Association. Drug testing is
mandatory for almost all drivers in the trucking industry, which is correlated
to the lack of truck drivers. So the real question is, how necessary is drug
testing, and is it more important in certain industries compared to others?
The Grey Area
The 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health as part of
the US Department of Health and Human Services claimed 11.9% of part time
employed adults and 10.5% of full time adults were classified as dependent or
abusive to drugs. The question is: are these percentages enough to raise
awareness and take action, or relax and save companies the hassle?
The Benefits
The American Council on Drug Education has determined the
following expense statistics when comparing substance abusing employees to
their co-workers:
- Ten times more likely to miss work
- 3.6 times more likely to be involved in on-the-job accidents
- 5 times more likely to injure themselves or another coworker in the process
- 33% less productive
- Responsible for health care costs that are 3 times as high
Each
of these statistics can be responsible for different costs associated within any
business. These expenses can exceed the amount of money a simple drug test
would cost. It would depend on what business these drug abusing and clean
employees are in.
The
chairman of the board of the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association
(DATIA), Joe Reilly, claims his business is up 38% since 2002. His company
administers drug tests, and has not showed a decline in its business or
employees, but a “boom.” More and more industries are implementing drug tests,
and not just within larger companies. A recent increase in smaller and medium
companies using drug tests has been reported by Reilly and the DATIA.
One study suggests that when it comes to drug testing within the workplace, if employees know they are going to be tested, they are less likely to use drugs. The National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) were analyzed over various years to show that drug testing within a workplace decreases drug use within its employees. It proved there was a 24% lower rate of drug use among employees involved in a company that uses a drug testing program. It also confirmed that employees in industries that have a drug testing program are 38.5% less likely to become a chronic drug user.
The Cons
Drug testing within all industries comes with many different
tasks and expenses. The human resource department is held responsible for
keeping track of this information, which makes their work days busier compared
to if their company did not drug test its employees. HR professionals also have
to keep up to date with which employees need to be tested and when, if their
company requires periodic testing. The expenses associated with drug testing
can add up within industries. In one year alone, $11.7 million dollars was
spent on drug testing between 38 federal government agencies. Texas
Instruments, a leading technology company specializing in scientific
calculators, spends about $1 million dollars per year to drug test its 10,000
employees. This can be broken down to about $100 per worker per year. Within
the aviation industry alone, $14 million dollars is allocated per year due to
drug testing. These are just 3 examples of the costs different businesses face
each year to make sure their current employees and future employees do not
partake in the recreational use of drugs.
According to Lew Maltby of the National Workrights
Institute, “you can’t fool people forever,” meaning that the reasons behind
drug testing are not always accurate. We are always promised an increase in
safety and productivity within the workplace because of the use of drug tests;
however, it has not been proven to actually implement safety nor productivity.
Comparing the Controversies
Requiring a drug test for employment has many different
positive and negative aspects. As stated above, the aviation industry spends a
substantial amount of money ($14 million) to drug test their employees. This is
vital in the aviation industry because employees such as flight attendants and
pilots are responsible for other people’s lives, while being on the job. In
other industries, such as the hospitality industry, drug testing has been
decreased and pushed to the back burner these past few years. This is not only
because of the expenses, but the relevancy of the drug test to the hospitality
industry (i.e. – waitresses and hostesses). A drug test may be a more necessary
and an essential tool in certain businesses and industries over others. Factors
such as company expenses, human resource employees, and overall company image
all need to be taken into account. Overall, it is up to the business itself
whether or not to administer a drug test to its employees.
Cadrain, D. Drug Testing Falls Out of Employers’ Favor. HRMagazine, June 2006. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.huaryu.kl.oakland.edu/abicomplete/docview/205013840/13D75F01AE725B18710/2?accountid=12924
Verstraete, A. Workplace Drug Testing. Pharmaceutical Press, 2011. Retrieved from:
Zimmer, L., & Maltby, L. Drug Testing: A Bad Investment. American Civil Liberties Union, September 1999. Retrieved from:
