Essay about Drugs and Workplace Ethics

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Some choices that many people make can change the course of their life, but a choice that one person can make under the influence of drugs at work, can cause a company to fall. The occurrence of drugs being abused at work has become a problem within America. Although, there are many test and ways to prevent from hiring someone that abuses drugs, many are still hired and given responsibilities that could cause harm or death to innocent individuals. Preventions strategies of illicit drug use should be invoked within any company, ranging from small businesses to fortune 500 companies.
Types of Drug Tests There are several types of drug test that are used within companies. Each test has the ability to determine the use of any illicit drug including alcohol. Each test varies in reliability and effectiveness in discovering drug within an individual system. Urine, Sweat, Blood, Hair and Saliva are all the types that could determined if someone has used drugs. Urinalysis is the most usually used and most economical form of drug testing. Although, most drugs will be washed out of your system after a few days, marijuana will test positive for several weeks after the last use, which is why urine test is the most common test being used, due to so many people partake in the use of marijuana (Infocus, 2012). A urine test can detect the use of some drugs for up to thirty days of being ingested into the body. Unlike urine drug test, sweat drug test are given by a testers who attaches drug test strips to skin for collecting sweat during a long period of time, up to 14 days. Government institutions, which deal drug tests, such as child protective services, parole departments prefer using this kind of test, because the urine drug test is not appropriate for this period of time. The strips are protected from attempts to take them off and then stick down again, so the testing agency can be assured that the test hasn't been adulterated ("About Drug Testing", 2007). When the period of testing comes to an end, a public officer or assistant takes the strip off and sends it to the lab, where it is carefully examined. If an individual tested has taken any drugs during the period of testing, the results are positive. Having a blood test to determine drug use is not very common, but it is very expensive. This test is usually used for insurance policies, or if a person is seeking employment where safety issues are mandatory. To administer a blood test, a sample is taken and sent to a lab to test for drug use. A blood drug screening test only identify illicit drug for up to seven days, which is not a big window to find drug use ("About Drug Testing", 2007). Hair testing can detect all substance activity detailed over a long period of time. Whenever a substance enters your bloodstream, either through ingestion, inhalation, or injection, it leaves a residue in the hair shaft that remains until the hair is cut ("About Drug Testing", 2007). Kind of like rings on a tree, whatever substance history a person has is recorded in their hair. The longer the hair, the more history an employer knows of any drug use. Hair analysis is becoming increasingly popular among businesses and public agencies for pre-employment drug testing. Saliva testing is generally a short-term procedure. It can detect recent use of alcohol, marijuana, meth and cocaine in the chemicals in your mouth for up to three days. Since this test is easy to administer, it is used mainly for pre-employment applicants ("About Drug Testing", 2007).
Types of Drug Testing Programs and Appropriateness
Maintaining a safe working environment is an important task for companies to maintain. One of the best ways to ensure that you are upholding a protected work environment is to perform employee drug testing and have programs dedicated to the prevention of drug abuse. There are several different types of drug testing programs such Pre-employment, Post Accident, Reasonable Cause,
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