The Advantages of Pre-Employment Drug Testing

Businesses have started to loosen up on drug-testing requirements in recent years. Research says, despite no decrease in drug addictions and substance abuse, less than half of employers conduct pre-employment drug tests in comparison to the 80 percent during the 1990’s.

Read below to see how pre-employment drug testing benefits employers and employees alike.

Economic Advantages

Requiring pre-employment drug testing comes with the benefit of saving your company money. A drug test usually costs around $45, but the turnover of an employee will cost you $7,000. Then there is the risk of losing money caused by drug-related accidents far outweighs the money saved by not requiring a test.

Another economic advantage to pre-employment drug testing is that when a company requires a drug test, the field of candidates decreases. That way you are not spending valuable time interacting with a potential hire who is either worried about failing a drug test, or not interested enough in your job to take the time to be tested.

A link has also been found between pre-employment drug tests and decreasing turnover, increase in productivity and morale, and reduction of absences. Having your staff on the job and actively producing results can boost your earnings. Employees would instead work in an environment that advocates for a clean and healthy lifestyle. Thanks to a drug-free workplace a positive work environment will increase profits.

Safety

For companies that require employees to operate heavy machinery or equipment, ensuring workplace safety is absolutely critical. For these types of companies, part of ensuring the safety of your employees is knowing that they’re in the right mindset to operate this potentially-dangerous equipment.

According to the United States Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), 12.9 million illicit drug users 18 or older are employed either full or part-time. Pre-employment drug testing can protect drug users from potentially harming themselves by restricting their use of dangerous equipment and machinery. The effects of hiring a drug user go beyond the user. Co-workers, clients, and anyone who comes into contact with your business can be affected by the user and their bad habits.

Drug users, who are more likely to be absent at work, put much more stress on other employees and supervisors. Stressed workers can be prone to have decreased productivity or cause accidents also.

OSHA also found that 10-20 percent of work fatalities test positive for drugs or alcohol. The number increases in the industrial workplace to 40%. What might be just a hangover or slight buzz can cause an irreversible accident.

When keeping your business, workers, and ultimately the community safe is a priority pre-employment drug testing is a no-brainer.

At Reliable Resources, pre-employment drug testing is standard for all of the talent we supply to our clients. Contact us today to learn more about our commitment to workplace safety and the staffing solutions we provide.

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