Random Drug Testing at Workplace – a Boon or a Bane?

Are random drug tests justifiable? This is a very moot question to be answered.

Considering this question from the perspective of the employer, these tests are absolutely necessary and perfectly legal. Irrespective of whether there is a legitimate suspicion, the policy of having random drug testing at the workplace is at the sole discretion of the employer. The names are chosen at random and the employees who names come up in a lot are usually asked to undergo a drug test unexpectedly. Premonitions are usually not given in the case of these drug tests.

Employers consider that this is the only way by which they can determine the drug habits of their employees. If an employee tests positive in such a test, this is taken as a case of absenting oneself at the workplace. Drug use during work hours has proven to be the major cause of accidents at workplace. In addition to pre-employment drug tests, the random drug tests are conducted on employees for the sheer reason that the probabilities of cheating in the latter case in approximately zero. Scheduled drug tests provide innumerous opportunities for adulteration taking into account the products like synthetic urine and masking agents to cheat drug tests currently available in the market.

If you are working at a warehouse or a factory, you may be subjected to random drug testing without notice because of the fact that these are the work places where the usage of drug proves to be risky to the co-workers. If you are working as a fork lifting driver or at a place which has heavy machines or assembly lines then the drug habituation among you and your colleagues can sometimes prove fatal. The risk for serious injuries is more and the drug tests without prior notice in such circumstances help in controlling the drug usage among employees. Readymade test kits or swab tests can be used to administer such exams at workplace.

Considering this aspect from the view of the employee the random drug testing often poses as a breach of the privacy of the employee. Employees are often uncomfortable with the idea of undergoing drug tests without notice.

In spite of the cons against random drug tests, these tests have been considered to be legal and the employers of any organization have the full rights to conduct such tests as and whenever they intend to do so!

Related posts:

1. How to pass random drug testing in the workplace
2. Get To Know the Drug Testing Laws
3. How do random drug tests work
4. How is random drug testing done
5. How to pass workplace drug tests
6. How to beat drug testing in workplace