Drug and alcohol testing policies are continually evolving and changing to reflect new state laws, federal regulations, or workplace attitudes. A regular review of your company’s current policy and procedures will help ensure that your company is on track to meet its goals and be legally compliant.

If your policy is no longer delivering value or helping you find employees that will execute your desired goals, it may be time to reevaluate.

Not sure if your policy could use updating?

Here are some indications that it could be time to update your policy:

Medical marijuana hasn’t been discussed

Although an employer is generally allowed to create their own drug testing policy including the right to a drug-free workplace, with changing laws surrounding both medical and recreational marijuana there may be some nuances you should be familiar with. Check out our article talking about testing for marijuana in the workplace today here and consult with your legal team about what guidelines you should follow.

No process is in place to monitor industry standards or changes

After spending so much time and consideration building your drug testing policy, you won’t need to review or update it for several years, right? Wrong! Most drug testing companies advise that you should review your policy at least once a year. Laws are ever-changing and this includes background screening and drug testing laws. Make sure that your policy is up-to-date with your specific state and industry’s standards.

You haven’t recently assessed your testing type or panel

We find that employers sometimes need to change their testing type or panel to best reflect changes within their company or improve their testing process. It’s a learning game and there isn’t necessarily a testing type or panel that is “best”; it depends on what options are most beneficial for your company.

Some examples of cause for change include:

-With the opioid epidemic, many employers have now updated their testing panel to include semi-synthetic opioids (hydrocodone, oxycodone, etc.) or other prescription medications.

-Some employers decide to change testing types to allow on-site testing which can help cut down on time spent for an employee to take a test.

-Other employers have had issues arise with certain drugs they hadn’t previously included in their testing panel which they then added. Or they’ve had a workplace accident occur due to drug use that has prompted them to add things to their testing program such as: reasonable suspicion training for their supervisors and post-accident testing.

At the beginning of this new year we would advise you to take some time reviewing your company’s current drug testing policy. If you have any questions about how adding or changing your current services could potentially benefit your company, please give us a call at the number above or reach out to our support team at mail@blueline-services.com.

The post Is It Time To Update Your Drug Testing Policy? appeared first on Blueline.

But what kind of drug testing will work best for your company? The testing method that words best for us, might not work best for you. We wrote this article to help you figure out what method is best suited for your company’s needs. And as always, if you have more specific questions, please contact one of our drug screening professionals at 888-919-8378 or by emailing mail@blueline-services.com.

There are three main types of drug testing: urine, hair, and oral fluid or saliva.

Urine Testing:

Urine is by far the most common or popular type of drug testing. It is the only testing method approved for companies with federally-mandated testing and is by far one of the most cost-effective forms of drug testing.

Pros:
-Cost-effective
-Instant and lab-based testing options available
-Easily customizable testing panels (all drug panels available)
-Nationwide collection sites available
-Most likely to survive a legal challenge

Cons:
-Limited window of detection (3-5 days, up to 6 weeks for marijuana)
-Easier to cheat
-Issues collecting samples (shy bladder)
-Harder to collect samples, handle, and ship

Hair Testing:

Hair testing is normally used for those employers looking for a longer window of detection that can show habitual drug use. Using this testing method will help you avoid hiring long-term or lifestyle drug users.

Pros:
-Longer window of detection
-Easy to ship and store
-Cheating not possible (test observed and collected)

Cons:
-Can be biased based on hair length available (longer hair vs. none – which then requires body hair)
-Doesn’t detect recent drug use (5-7 days before collection)
-Limited testing panels available
-More expensive

Oral Fluid (Saliva) Testing:

Oral fluid testing is most commonly used for onsite collections or for high volume testing needed at one time (ex. hiring events). While oral fluids are convenient, easy, and pretty cost-effective, they aren’t the most consistent form of testing and have the shortest detection window.

Pros:
-Cheating not possible (test observed and collected)
-Easy collection that can be done anywhere
-Instant and lab-based testing options available
-Cheapest test that can be administered by the company themselves

Cons:
-Shortest detection window (only 24-48 hours)
-Not all collection devices are FDA approved
-Tests can be difficult to read/inconsistent
-The larger the testing panel the less accurate they become

What Testing Method Should You Use?

Compare your company’s needs with the basics of each drug testing method listed above. Ultimately, you need to decide what factors are most important to you and what method you feel most comfortable with. Some of the main things to consider are: detection window (are you looking for recent drug use or long term?), cost, testing panel availability and ease of collection (do you need to be able to test at your office?). If you need extra help, give us a call and we’d be more than happy to help you figure out what method would be best suited for your company’s needs.

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