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It is important to recognize firstly, the context for employee drug screening and substance abuse checking; and secondly, the relationship and distinction between these elements of the screening process.
When we begin a discussion of workplace requirements, we often talk about the need for safety and security in a generalized way. It is within this abstract discussion that a lot of debate about employee drug screening and substance abuse checking takes place. As previously mentioned, Trusted Employees sides with an employer’s right to make hiring decisions that suit the best interests of his/her company, and we have incorporated employee drug screening capabilities into our processes to this end.
With that said, we must move beyond the general debate and keep in mind that for many organizations and institutions; such as those oriented toward health and healing, assisted living, rehabilitation and recovery, residential treatment, crisis management, etc., the exposure to risk is very literal and the requirement for safety, extremely specific.
Employee drug screening is a must for safety-sensitive environments, in which staff and clientele are regularly exposed to products and procedures with inherent risk potential. Since this potential is often associated with the handling and administering of prescription medication, it is imperative to protect the legitimacy of this process by regulating and monitoring it in the context of an approved screening policy.
Substance abuse does not necessarily fall into the category of criminality, which is why a substance abuse check is different from a criminal background check. Substance abuse can become apparent at any time, which is why drug screening can apply to prospective hires as well as permanent employees. Drug screening is a procedure that verifies the act of substance abuse, and is of particular relevance to those organizations and institutions that entrust their employees with special access to substances and equipment.
Other complex and more far-reaching concerns arise out of the singular substance abuse issue, in that any abuse of said special access puts staff and clientele at risk, compromises workplace health and safety standards, and constitutes a serious breach of trust.