Urine Drug Test

Many employers use a urine drug test to ensure that their employees
are drug free. They also use these tests for pre-employment purposes
to eliminate the possibility of hiring a person who is a drug user.
Testing for drug use can eliminate employees who have a positive urine
drug test, especially since drug use lowers employee productivity,
increases absenteeism, and causes other problems in the workplace.
Testing employees for drug use is becoming more and more popular as
business owners try to increase productivity and cut costs.Anyone who
works in safety-sensitive transportation is required by law to be
tested for drugs and alcohol. The Omnibus Transportation Employee
Testing Act of 1991 requires a driver who works in mass transit,
pipelines, trucking, railroads, aviation, and other transportation
industries to be tested. Drug and alcohol-free drivers ensure safety
for those traveling on subways, trains, charter or tour buses, and
other means of transportation.A driver who has a commercial driver's
license (CDL) is required to have mandatory testing by the U.S.
Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA). A urine drug test is the primary way that
drivers are tested for five classifications of drugs in their systems,
including marijuana, cocaine, opiates - opium and codeine derivatives,
amphetamines and methamphetamines, and phencyclidine - PCP. If any of
these drugs are found in the driver's urine, the result is removal
from driving on public roads. Drivers who refuse the test are
considered to have positive results, just as if they had taken a test
and failed it. While the employee is suspended from the job, he/she
must follow guidelines, including further series of urine drug
testing, before the CDL is reinstated and the driver returns to work.
Those who fail drug tests are often out of work for some time since
many employers hesitate to hire anyone with a drug record.A urine drug
test is also used by the FAA to test aviation employees, by the FRA to
test railroad workers, and by other workers in safety-sensitive
fields. Because there are many ways that drug users try to hide their
drug use from showing up in their urine, it is very important for
urine collection personnel to follow a 10 step collection procedure
that is part of the 49CFR Part 40 law. The collection agent instructs
employees who come in for testing on the procedures that are to be
followed in order for the test to be credible. Preparing the restroom
and inspecting any area that could be a hiding place for a tester to
hide chemicals or agents that might change his/her urine is a very
important part of this person's job. In addition, the collection agent
must complete a Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form for each
employee being tested. The testing facility must be checked after each
test as well, and the agent must ensure that the employees remove
jackets, empty pockets, and follow all of the rules that the federal
government mandates for a valid urine drug test.